Mother of 5th grader shot in Pompano Beach speaks after son is caught in crossfire

The mother of a fifth-grade boy who was shot in Pompano Beach Thursday night recounted the terrifying experience as her son recovers in the hospital.

With tears in her eyes, April Lofton told NBC6 it has been an emotional 24 hours after learning that her youngest son was shot.

"Frantic, scared, just like an out-of-body experience," Lofton said. "I immediately rushed to the crime scene."

Lofton said her son, Noah West, was walking with his friend when he saw a man pull out a gun and start shooting.

While the circumstances of the shooting are still unclear, Lofton said West was not the intended target.

"He said the one that was shooting was on a scooter and he had on a ski mask and jacket and black pants," Lofton said. "The one in the scooter started shooting at the guys in the car."

Video provided by a neighbor shows a boy running away around the time the shooting was reported.

Lofton told NBC6 that West was shot in the leg and the butt and while he is expected to make a full recovery, she said he is traumatized the person responsible could strike again.

"He doesn't want the person to come back after him," Lofton said. 

According to the Broward Sheriff's Office, the 911 call for the shooting came in around 6:35 p.m. near the 1700 block of Northwest 4th Street.

There, they found a child with a gunshot wound. Paramedics rushed him to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

BSO has not said whether they were looking for a suspect or have one in custody.

Deputies spent hours talking to residents and canvassing the area. Lofton told NBC6 this is typically a quiet neighborhood, with not much gun violence.

"He is a phenomenal kid and student and he is smart so he was able to give a detailed description of who the person was and who he was shooting at," Lofton said.

Anyone with information on this incident is urged to contact Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS.