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On Saturday, gunshots were let off like rain - and a 9 year old girl and a teenaged fruit vendor were innocently caught in the crossfire. Monica Bodden has more:

Monica Bodden, Reporting
When we arrived on the scene on Saturday night - CIB officers were still processing the area. A number of heavily armed guards patrolled the three blocks on foot- South Street - East Canal - and Berkley Street.

Fully armed officers were also on mobile patrols and were also circling the neighborhood - As residents looked on in fear. According to area residents - over 20 gunshots rang out on Saturday night - a little after 7 o'clock.

The area became a battlefield as 4 men rode up from the direction of South Street into East Canal and then unto Berkley Street and began firing shots.

It was in front of this Chinese store corner South Street and East Canal- that 9 year Crystal Faber was buying when one of the stray bullets caught her in her left leg.

A little more up the street on East Canal- 16 year old Juan Carlos Martinez was shot in his stomach. Fearing for his life he asked to appear off camera - but told us what happened on Saturday night.

Juan Carlos Martinez
"I went to buy a Coke like around 7:10 pm from the Chinese shop when I heard gunshots. I run but I still got shot in my stomach, so I lie down on the street. When the police came they took me to the hospital. The bullet went my stomach and didn't damage any organs, they just bandage me."

Martinez says he wasn't aware of what was going on - since he was wearing headphones:

Voice of Juan Carlos Martinez
"I didn't hear anything because I had on a headphone. When I took off the head phone from one of my ears its then that I heard the last gunshot. While on my way back I felt something warm on my stomach."

For this teenager and fruit vendor - he was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Voice of Juan Carlos Martinez
"I have no problem with nobody, I work honestly."

Monica Bodden
"You were just at the wrong place at the wrong time?"

Voice of Juan Carlos Martinez
"Yes, I think so because I don't have problems with nobody."

Gun violence has become common in these areas.

Voice of Juan Carlos Martinez
"Sometimes shootings happen here but we don't see anything because we go inside."

On Saturday night - just minutes after the gun war - life continued as normal in the area… Even those caution tapes weren't enough to have this store pulled its shutters closed.

Indeed residents have been accustomed to living in a war zone - but police say they have a plan to bring some normalcy to this, the hottest area in the city even if they don't quite know what Saturday's shooting was about:

Jules Vasquez
"So you all do have an approximation of who was shooting at who on Saturday night?"

Elodio Aragon Jr., ACP - OC Eastern Division
"Well I won't go so far as to say that but all I could say that at this point in time our intelligence people are working on the case."

Russell Blackett, D/OC - Eastern Division
"We know for a fact that the problem that lies within this area is a triangle. There are about 3 nests of housing areas that are difficult to police, however we had strategized this morning about how effectively we will get in this area and do some operations in there. I would like the public to understand that this problem lies with our young people and I am telling you from the age of between 10 - 17 years old. But mainly the core is 10 - 14 years. These youths are being use by these so call gang leaders. Why I say that is that is that we have a lot of drop outs from school and they fall easy prey and targets and are being used."

Multiple accounts from the area say that over twenty shots were fired. Police recovered a total of 26 expended shells from 2 different areas, the corner of south street and east canal, Berkeley street and west canal.

No one has been detained, but as police noted, they have narrowed the violence down to three so called nests - and will launch an aggressive operation in the area.

It can't come soon enough for the law abiding residents of the community who have told us that they live in a state of sustained terror.