Baby killed while in stroller in apparent stray-bullet shooting in Brooklyn

A baby was killed in an apparent stray-bullet shooting in Brooklyn on Wednesday.

One of two suspects who fled the scene in East Williamsburg on a moped was taken into custody as part of an unrelated investigation, but the second one remains at large and a manhunt is currently underway, police said.

"A life that had barely begun was taken in an instant," Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at an early evening press conference. "As we grieve this loss, I am grateful for the NYPD's continued work to find all those responsible for this murder, and to bring them to justice."  

Here's what we know

The child, identified as 7-month-old Kaori Patterson-Moore, was being pushed in a stroller at Moore and Humboldt streets just after 1:15 p.m., when she suffered a gunshot wound to the head, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.

After hearing the shots, the child's mother ducked into a nearby bodega, where she noticed the little girl bleeding. Her father then ran the child to Woodhull Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, police sources said.

"I thought it was fireworks, but then they hit me on my leg. I got like little metal pieces on my leg," witness Bernius Maldonado said. "And then all the kids started ducking in the corner. The family went to the store and the mom started screaming when she noticed the baby was bleeding from [her] head. The baby was lifeless ... and the father just picked up the baby and ran to the hospital."

The NYPD is currently looking for one of two men who fled the scene on a moped. Investigators have since recovered video showing both suspects driving out of 24 Humboldt St. at the Bushwick Houses, just minutes prior to the shooting, Tisch said.  

"As they approach the intersection of Moore Street, the male sitting at the rear of the moped can be seen taking out a gun and discharging at least two rounds towards the southwest corner. On that corner were several adults, as well as two strollers and several children standing nearby," Tisch said.

As the suspects were fleeing up Humboldt, video shows the moped crash into an oncoming car two blocks from the scene. Both suspects were thrown from the scooter, with the rear passenger landing so hard on the pavement his shoes came flying off. They were later recovered by police, the commissioner said.

Tisch said a 911 call related to that crash was made at approximately 1:25 p.m. and one of the men was taken to Brooklyn Hospital. Investigators believe he fits the description of the shooter, based on the clothing he was wearing and his appearance, Tisch said. He was taken into custody as part of an unrelated investigation and investigators are working to see if he's connected to the shooting.

As for the other suspect, believed to be the moped's driver, he was said to be wearing light grey pants and a white t-shirt, with a black surgical mask over his lower face.

"He was last seen fleeing toward the Marcy Houses," Tisch said. "Right now, he is the subject of a massive NYPD manhunt, and all New York City police officers have a very clear picture of this out-standing suspect on their phones." 

Police said the moped believed to be involved in the shooting was found abandoned about five blocks west of the scene a short time later, and was being processed by investigators, Tisch said.

"We cannot accept this as normal"

Mayor Mamdani expressed heartbreak for the family and said this type of violence has no place in the five boroughs. 

"There are no words that can mend the heartbreak this family is feeling now, no declaration strong enough to lift the grief they are now forced to carry, no embrace wide enough to heal the hole that has been left in their lives," Mamdani said. "That sorrow is only deepened by the fact that is not the first family in our city to know this pain. Too many children have never grown up into becoming adults. Too many parents have had to bury those that they love the most.

"We cannot accept this as normal in our city. We cannot grow numb to this pain. And today is a devastating reminder of just how much more work there is to be done to combat gun violence across the city," Mamdani added.

City Councilmember Jennifer Gutiérrez, who represents East Williamsburg and nearby neighborhoods, wrote on social media, in part, "My heart is broken. A 7-month-old baby was shot. No parent should ever live this nightmare. No block should feel like this. We owe every family in our district real safety."

Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.