A six-year-old child was hospitalised after being shot outside a house in Helenvale, Port Elizabeth, on Monday afternoon.

HeraldLIVE reported that police suspect the injured girl was hit by a stray bullet, but are unable to confirm if it was linked to a gang shooting.

Police spokesperson Col Priscilla Naidu said the child, who is not being named, was playing on the pavement in front of her house in Kobus Road when several shots were fired.

“It is not known at this stage who fired the shots and who the intended victim was. During the shooting, the child was shot in the head. The child was taken to hospital for medical attention and is in a stable condition,” she said.

“There are no witnesses who can state where the shots came from. It is unknown if this was a random shooting or if the shooting was a gang-related incident.”

Acting provincial commissioner Maj-Gen Andries Swart said efforts were under way to hunt the culprit down.

“We condemn such callous attacks in the strongest possible way. We are calling on the communities to work with us and not to harbour these criminals,” he said.

The case has not yet been taken over by the Gang Unit and is under investigation by Gelvandale police station detectives.

The incident comes as the Anti-Gang Tracking Team shot and wounded a suspected gangster in Kwanoxolo at midday after he tried to escape police.

Naidu said the 48-year-old was spotted in Mpuko Street when he started to run away from police after they noticed a firearm sticking out of his pants.

The gangster allegedly pointed the gun at the pursuing police resulting in him being shot in the leg. According to police, the firearm was reported stolen in Uitenhage in April 2018.

The shooting happened only hours after police found the body of Eugene Commons, 11, at a dumping site in Kerk Street, Missionvale.

Police spokesperson Capt Sandra Janse van Rensburg said Commons' body was found after a passer-by alerted police.

“According to the residents, the boy was last seen at about 5pm on Sunday walking with his friends in the street. His parents alleged that he often stayed over with friends and did not worry when he did not go home,” she said.

“Visible injuries were noticed around his neck as well as burn marks on his face and stomach. A post-mortem will be conducted to determine the exact cause of death.”