[Natalie Allen, Cnn Anchor:] A suspected, young gunman remains on the run in the nation's capital and gates to the city's National Zoo are closed today after yesterday's shooting there. At this hour, an 11-year-old is clinging to life and six other teens have bullet wounds. Gun-control supporters say it's more proof that kids and guns don't mix. Kathleen Koch with the story now from Washington.
[Kathleen Koch, Cnn Correspondent:] The gates of the National Zoo are locked. A lone bouquet of flowers rests at the entrance where, Monday evening just after 6:00, shots rang out.
[Unidentified Male:] I saw a whole bunch of dudes start running. Everybody started I was on my way out and I heard three gunshots, and everybody started running back down that way. So everybody started running.
[Koch:] Caught in the crossfire, seven children, ages 11 to 16, attending the annual Easter Monday African-American celebration. Most will recover. Critically injured but improving, an 11-year-old boy shot in the head who remains hospitalized. Police say it all started with an altercation inside the zoo between two groups of teenagers.
[Chief Charles Ramsey, Washington, D.c. Police:] These groups have been in conflict for a good part of the afternoon going at one another. But is wasn't until they were put out of the zoo and they were standing on Connecticut Avenue, one group on the west side of the street, one on the east side of the street. They started throwing bottles back and forth, and then someone pulled a gun and began firing into the crowd.
[Koch:] Police say they have good leads on a suspect: An African-American male in his late teens, 5'8" to 5'10" of slight build, wearing a dark jacket and baggy blue jeans. Several rewards have been offered for any information that would lead to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible. [voice-over]: The city's mayor insists the shooting is proof more needs to be done to keep guns out of the hands of young people.
[Mayor Anthony Williams, Washington, D.c:] We've got to get kids and guns separated from one another. They don't go together. That's obvious.
[Koch:] The zoo hopes to reopen Wednesday, assuring families the shooting was an isolated incident. Kathleen Koch, CNN, Washington.