Search Continues For Gunman After 11-Month-Old Shot By Stray Bullet In Bronx
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The search is on for the gunman after a baby girl was shot in the face while sitting in the family car.
Police say the suspect opened fire on a busy street Wednesday night. The baby and her family were caught in the crossfire.
As CBS2's Andrea Grymes reports, the little girl turns 1 Friday. Instead of being home, she's in a hospital in critical but stable condition.
Her grandmother told Grymes they're hoping and praying for the best.
"An 11-month-old baby struck in the head. That is acceptable," one person said Thursday.
There was outrage at the scene in Bedford Park where, less than 24 hours earlier, a little girl's bloodied pink jacket lay on the street, surrounded by police. The child, about to turn 1, is now one of the latest innocent victims of gun violence.
Surveillance cameras caught the suspect running with his gun. Police say he was firing bullets intended for someone else. Instead, he hit the baby in the cheek as she sat in a parked car with her mother waiting for her dad, who was in a drug store.
"As soon as we sat down in our living room, we heard two shots. Pow! Pow!" one neighbor said. "I went outside. I saw the mom holding her daughter, saw all the cops from the 5-2 coming out, and it was sad. A sad sight."
It happened around 6:45 p.m. Wednesday at East 198th Street and Valentine Avenue.
Witnesses were in complete shock as the distraught mom tried to keep her daughter alert until paramedics arrived.
Police say the gunman fled the scene in a gray, four door sedan.
Mayor Eric Adams visited the scene Wednesday night after praying with the family at the hospital. He has vowed to make the city safer, especially from gun violence.
NYPD statistics show so far this year there have been 57 shooting victims, a 7.5% increase from the same time last year, and a 90% increase from the same time five years ago.
"When I hear people say that we should not incarcerate those who are discharging bullets of death to our community, they need to talk to this mother," Adams said. "Enough is enough. If tonight wasn't a wakeup call, then I don't know what will wake us up."
"I can't even find words, honestly, because that's a baby. That's a baby," said Johnny Shaw, who has lived in the neighborhood for 15 years. "The kids need a chance to survive."
"This is an assault and an abandonment on all levels of government, that we have an endless flow of guns," Adams said. "This is not the city our children should grow up in, and we need help."
Adams is also asking state leaders for stricter laws.
"When I hear people say that we should not incarcerate those who are discharging bullets of death through our community, they need to talk to this mother," Adams said. "When she walked into the room, she grabbed our hands and she prayed."
The shooting is not believed to be gang-related at this time.
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.
