DETROIT – Police searched Wednesday for a man who apparently targeted an in-home day-care center, killing a 3-year-old girl and critically wounding two women.
No motive had been determined for the Tuesday morning attack on a quiet, tree-lined street on the city's northwest side.
"Words were exchanged, shots were fired," Police Chief Ella Bully-Cummings said. "It appears as though this was not random."
Kelly Scheer, a spokeswoman for Children's Hospital of Michigan (search), identified the slain girl as Stephine Belue. Police on Wednesday said the girl was beaten to death, but not shot as they previously had reported.
Annette Rice, 41, the owner of the house and operator of the day care center, and her 22-year-old niece, Sherita Griggs, both were shot several times. Both underwent about five hours of surgery and were listed in critical condition at Sinai-Grace Hospital (search).
Rice was shot in "the extremities as well as the abdomen and also facial area" and Griggs was shot in the jaw, stomach and arm, said Dr. Melvin Hollowell, a surgeon at Sinai-Grace.
Griggs' 4-month-old son, Amari, suffered a head injury when she dropped him during the attack. He was in serious condition at Children's Hospital.
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