7-Year-Old Shot to Death by 'Paranoid' Family Friend

A man described as mentally ill shot and killed a 7-year-old girl after her soccer practice on Friday.

Following a shooting outside a sports arena in Michigan, a 7-year-old girl is dead and her mother is in critical condition. 

Emma Watson Nowling, 7, and Sharon Watson, 37, were shot while inside their vehicle by a family friend, according to the Taylor Police Department.  

Police described the shooter as Timothy Nelson Obeshaw, 57.

The incident happened in the parking lot of the Taylor Superplex arena just before 8 p.m. local time as Sharon was taking her daughter home from soccer practice. 

“Family members said Obeshaw was a friend of the family and had been staying with Watson and her boyfriend at their home in Belleville,” read a statement released by Taylor P.D. "Police still do not have a motive for the shootings, other than witnesses and family members told police that in the past year Obeshaw had started becoming mentally unstable and paranoid."

The handgun used in the crime was registered under Obeshaw’s name, according to NBC.

"Unfortunately, this man's apparent mental illness led to a little girl who just wanted to play soccer never going home again," said Taylor P.D. Chief Mary Sclabassi, during an interview with NBC.