ALTON, Ill. — The Alton community is coming together praying for a 13-year-old girl who was shot in the head.
Ra'Niya Steward has been in the hospital since Saturday afternoon.
The Madison County Prosecuting Attorney's Office charged two 19-year-olds with attempted first-degree murder.
Alvin Perry III and Raysean Colvin are accused of firing a gun in the direction of the victim, striking her in the head, as she was standing on the porch outside at a home on Highland Avenue.
Tom Haine, Madison County's prosecuting attorney, said he expects the evidence to show that the girl was not a targeted victim.
This tragedy happened in Alderwoman Rosie Brown's ward.
She said Steward is from Alton and she was at a family member's house Saturday, standing on the porch when a bullet struck her in the head.
Brown said, "Ra'Niya... we're going to be calling out that name a lot tonight. A 13-year-old girl is fighting for her life and she was not even the target, she was just outside being a 13-year-old girl. The last report is that Ra'Niya is holding on."
To bring comfort, Brown partnered with a community advocate Missy Johnson to host a prayer vigil Thursday evening.
More than 200 candles and dripping protectors were donated by Captains Cassy and Shaun Grey of the Alton Salvation Army, Reverend Mike Adams and Chaplin Marc.
"This community, everybody know everybody," Brown said.
So much so, she even recognized one of the suspect shooters, 19-year-old Alvin Perry III.
Her son knows him from high school.
"When I found out... he played basketball and he had a great mentor, I thought, what went wrong? This is his friend and I thought, what could I have done? What could have the community done?" Brown shared.
Haine is seeking a pretrial detention for Perry and Colvin, which means they would be held in jail until trial.
"My biggest question is how are these children getting these guns," Brown pointed out.
Johnson, also an Alton native, wanted to show all the good her hometown offers.
"This is home to a lot of love, not violence," Johnson said.
The two are calling on the community for a commitment: To bring peace through the power of prayer.
Johnson said, "Our Alton comes together and we are with this family, we are here for Ra'Niya, Ra'Niya strong and we will be there for her from this point on."
Haine noted that the case remains under investigation by Alton Police Department detectives and additional charges could be announced.