Heartbroken mother of baby shot dead in Brooklyn speaks out: "I can't get her back"
The mother of a 7-month-old girl killed by a stray bullet while sitting in her stroller in Brooklyn is devastated by Wednesday's horrific tragedy.
"I can't get her back. She's gone, and I can't ever see her again," Lianna Charles-Moore said through tears.
Her baby girl, Kaori Patterson-Moore, was being pushed in a stroller in East Williamsburg on Wednesday afternoon when a man on the back of a moped opened fire. The little girl was hit by a stray bullet, suffering a fatal gunshot wound to the head in what police are calling an apparent gang-motivated shooting.
"I can't hold her anymore. She's gone"
Charles-Moore sobbed on the phone as she spoke exclusively with CBS News New York's Ali Bauman on Thursday, describing the unimaginable loss of her daughter.
"I can't smell her, can't kiss her. I can't wake up and feed her her bottle. I can't dress her. Everything I wanted to do with her, I can't do with her anymore," Charles-Moore said.
She remembered Kaori as always laughing, smiling and brightening her family's day.
"My son, he keeps asking for her, asking where she's at, and if we're going to her. I don't know what to tell him," Charles-Moore said.
Kaori had just learned how to say "mama," her first word. Now, her family is planning for her funeral.
"I gotta bury her now, and I can't even hold my baby. I can't hold her anymore. She's gone. She's gone. She's gone," Charles-Moore said.
Kaori's grandparents, both pastors, told CBS News New York they forgive those involved.
Suspect identified, to be charged with murder
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said on Thursday that 21-year-old Amari Green fired the shot that killed Kaori. He is currently in the hospital and will be charged with murder and two counts of attempted murder.
Police have also identified the driver of the scooter, but say they aren't releasing his name yet, as he has not yet been arrested.
The NYPD released surveillance pictures of the pair who, they say, approached the intersection of Moore and Humboldt streets on a moped. Green was on the back of the vehicle, pulled out a gun and fired it multiple times toward a group that included several children, police said.
Shooting likely "gang-motivated"
As the driver and Green fled the scene, they crashed the moped into an oncoming car, according to police. The two were thrown from the scooter, and Green ended up in the hospital.
Green was initially arrested as part of an unrelated investigation as officers worked to connect him to the shooting. They said they believed Green fit the description of the shooter based on his clothes and appearance.
"At this time, this shooting is believed to be gang-motivated with the victim being an unintended target," Tisch said.
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.
