Suspects remain on loose after fireworks dispute left 3-year-old shot in Anderson

Nikie Mayo | Anderson Independent Mail

Investigators are still searching for the two men suspected of shooting a 3-year-old girl in Anderson during a dispute over fireworks.

Nikki Carson, a spokeswoman for the Anderson County Sheriff's Office, said Friday that investigators are still trying to sort out what happened but have heard that the child and her father were in a vehicle and that he was throwing fireworks out of the car window in the moments before the shooting.

Several people got upset about the fireworks and shots were fired, Sheriff Chad McBride said in a previous interview. According to a deputy's incident report, at least one shot was fired at the vehicle the child was in and the bullet struck her in the right calf.

The shooting happened around 7:45 p.m.Thursday near the intersection of Evergreen and Glenn streets just outside the city limits of Anderson. The 3-year-old was taken to AnMed Health Medical Center and was later transferred to Greenville Memorial Hospital.

Her injuries are not life-threatening, and she is recovering well.

"She's fine," her father, Chase Trinidad, said in a message to the Independent Mail. "Toughest 3-year-old I ever seen."

He declined to further discuss what happened, saying he is worried about his family's safety as long as there are no arrests in the case.

McBride said the people responsible for the shooting are believed to be white males in their late teens or early 20s.

Investigators set up a perimeter around the neighborhood Thursday night and brought in a scent-tracking dog in an effort to find the suspected shooters.

"We're going to find them eventually," McBride said. "You can only run for so long."

Follow Nikie Mayo on Twitter @NikieMayo or email her at mayon@independentmail.com.