Toddler Shot in Head at Wedding Reception

18-month-old Girl in Critical Condition After Uninvited Guest Allegedly Opens Fire in Indiana

(AP)  An 18-month-old Indiana girl was in critical condition Sunday after being shot in the head when a man open fired during a wedding reception, police said.

The child, Yuridia Sosa, underwent surgery Sunday at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, said Lawrence police detective Gary Woodruff.

The child's mother, Mariela Rodriguez, and another woman was shot in the legs but expected to recover. The other woman's name wasn't released.

Three brothers - who witnesses said weren't invited to the wedding - got into a scuffle with guests Saturday night at a reception hall in Lawrence, a community within Indianapolis. At least two shots were fired as about 100 panicked wedding guests fled the building and ran into the surrounding park, Woodruff said.

"People were running just every direction," Woodruff said. "It was just chaos."

Officers said they saw Francisco Ponce, 21, of Indianapolis, run across a parking lot and toss a gun under a car. He was arrested on a preliminary charge of attempted murder, Woodruff said.

Ponce was being held without bond Sunday at Marion County jail, according to court records. It wasn't clear whether he had an attorney.

Witnesses said the men appeared to be looking for a fight.

"And at one point they stood up, turned a table over and started a scuffle with some of the other reception attendees," Woodruff said. "And then Francisco introduces a handgun into the fight."

His brother Isaias Ponce, 28, was charged with public intoxication, and a third brother, Jose Ponce, 23, was arrested on preliminary charges of battery, disorderly conduct and public intoxication.

Both men, who also are from Indianapolis, were being held at the arresting processing center in Indianapolis on Sunday, according court records. It wasn't clear whether either man had a lawyer.

[jack_swindle]

Wow... Let me start by saying I'm not a part of the NRA. But they aren't wrong in what they are doing. Gun laws only affect citizens who are law abiding. Most people don't seem to understand how easy guns are to get off the street in any major city. These are definitely not federally regulated firearms. Taking away guns from everyone just because of a few who do something stupid with them, is like taking away cars because of a few drunk drivers.

[TheMasses2009]

Is my back wet?

[chaseangus]

Could this reporter please write in the right verb tense? Can't imagine the reporter could be accurate in the facts if he/she doesn't know you need a plural verb when you have two subjects in the sentence. Jeez, with all the talented writers out there looking for work, you'd think AP would hire one who knew basic grammar.

[jackp32]

Across this great country of ours, there are 20,000 gun laws. Do you anti-gun liberals think that more laws will keep guns out of the hands of outlaws? That is why you anti-gunners sound so stupid when you espouse more laws to control guns. Only law abiding citizens are affected by gun laws, which are meaningless to criminals. I own guns and I follow the laws to a T. Do you really think that the criminals do also?

[toldyouso29]

Ponce?????? Solas?????Marielas???? Are these people even US citizens? And if they are, are they anchor babies, recipients of the last amnesty wave of the 1980s or can we thank the new and improved lax application of rule of law for the past 15 years for our latest introduction to Hispanic/Latino outrageous criminal acts? Wasn't it just last year when on two occasions police had to go to primarily Hispanic neighborhoods to arrest people and a mob of neighbors started pelting the policemen and their cars with rocks and bottles, yelling at them to leave the fugitives alone? (Happened in Texas and OK). Aren't we getting a lot of this kind of lawless behavior that spills over from gangland violence in large cities to now crazy killings or violence at weddings?

And this is the sort of mentality which regards laws as options, sees nothing wrong with ID theft, or ignoring immigration laws, or stealing at those jobs they work at so hard or shooting women and babies at weddings--these are the people Obama and McCain see as their next constituents and want to bestow amnesty or get them a fast track to citizenship so America can go to hell in a handbasket not only a lot faster, but also in screaming bilingually while we do so.

[proud_churchgoer]

Now suppose all the wedding guests were armed liberals, those punks would have gotten what they deserved right there and then!

[idcabouturproblems]

I have never hear a story on the news,"70 year old women defends her houshold from burglar with nothing but an MP5." People arn't using their guns for protection but for illegale activities that everyone is paying taxes to get resolved.

[get_down]

Three punks who happen to be brothers - Francisco Ponce, 21, Isaias Ponce, 28 and Jose Ponce, 23, all deserve to be locked up behind bars for criminal conduct of conducting attempted murder of an 18-month-old Indiana girl at a wedding which they weren't even invited.
Come to think of it - all three of them might as well change their last name to "Punk" - i.e. Francisco Punk, Isaias Punk and last but not the least Jose Punk.

[endurorob]

Once these guys are convicted they should be thrown into genral population and the day prior the prison should post the story of how they shot an 18 month old.

[excoachken]

Connect the dots...Guns are too easily acquired in the U.S.......because the NRA has bought off or scared away reasonable gun controls that would keep such weapons out of the hands of disturbed people.........the NRA gets more fools to send them membership $ by publishing lies about rational approaches to this huge problem.........another innocent person (this time a baby) is killed by a "proud gun owner"........so....When will you accept the responsibility that goes with allowing such a Wild West approach to problem solving?

[gunownerdan]

Hey Ken,
I just donated $100 to the NRA in your honor!

[idcabouturproblems]

Thats funny because I just stole $200 from their headquaters in NK.

[casionova]

So because three drunken idiots wanted to prove how tough they are a child is likely to be left with brain damage.

These fools have forfeited there right to freedom. Throw away the key.

[npkppprc]

What does the NRA have to do with a Mexican with a gun?

[gunownerdan]

We can blame the NRA for that mexicans having guns!
If the NRA didn't exist, Mexcicans would not be able to get guns don't you see?!? The NRA sells guns to evil homicidal Mexicans and gangbangers who kill babies and rape little girls.

[howbizarre]

What does Mexico have to do with it? I know people from Irish, Italian, Polish, Asian, etc. descent, who still have the same last names as the ancestor who first immigrated 100s of years ago. They are still US citizens. How do you know these 3 aren't US citizens? Why are you blaming Mexicans?

[Sloughfoot]

Hey "howbizarre" they're the ones wanting to be called Mexican-Americans, Latino-Americans and it don't take a Rocket Scientist to look at the names and get a picture. Stick your head in the sand or where ever else but Americans are tired of the devisive BS people like you keep putting on.

[excoachken]

Hip Hip Hooray for the NRA. I hope this awakens a conscience in some of the gun nuts who write here.

[rambleingtree]

Drunk idiots pulled the trigger. The gun did not discharge by it's self.
Why can't people blame the user of the gun and not the NRA? And NO I am not a member.

[gunownerdan]

It's easy to blame guns or the NRA anytime some homicidal nutcase goes on a rampage. Francisco Ponce is responsible for this shooting, not some inanimate object or the NRA.
Until you realize that simple fact you will probably continue to insult and stereotype people you don't even know.
Certaionly that's very typical of hotheaded gun haters.

[AJMarine12]

A gun is a tool,....nothing more, nothing less,........the person using the tool is the problem.

[idcabouturproblems]

I completly agree with you. People with the guns are not the problem but you can't go around on a killing spree with nothing but your hands. Stop being idiots and wake up and smell the change. Tyvm