11-year-old Anisa Scott dies following Tuesday shooting, MPD confirms

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - The Madison Police Dept. has confirmed the passing of 11-year-old Anisa Scott and it is now investigating the shooting as a homicide.

The sixth-grader was badly injured Tuesday when someone started firing at the vehicle she was riding in. She was rushed into surgery that day and was then placed into a medically-induced coma. On Wednesday night, her family announced she would be taken off life-support at 11:11 a.m. the next morning.

In its update, the department stated the “men and women of the MPD would like to offer her family and friends heartfelt condolences, and to let them know that our Violent Crime Unit detectives, and other MPD personnel, are working very hard to find those responsible for this senseless murder.”

Investigators believe the vehicle Anisa was riding in had been targeted by the shooter, noting, however, that she was not the intended target. They said the shooter had been aiming for the driver. MPD did not release that individual’s name, except for noting that he was someone Anisa knew, but was not related to.

Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said she spoke with the family Thursday to offer her condolences and to assure them that the community’s thoughts go out to them and Anisa’s friends.

“Today the City of Madison mourns the passing of Anisa Scott, a life taken too soon by senseless gun violence,” she said. “Today, I ask you to mourn, but also to come together as a community to help prevent future acts of gun violence.

Anisa would have been entering the 6th grade at Prairie View Middle School this fall after attending Horizon Elementary School. The district said Thursday that it will be offering support to students and families affected by her death.

Since she was shot, community leaders have come together to decry the violence plaguing the city recently. Anisa’s death is the tenth homicide in the city this year.

Copyright 2020 WMTV. All rights reserved.