Jan. 19, 2014: Authorities in Cleveland investigate the scene where a 5-year-old girl was shot dead as she sat in a vehicle with her mother. (Fox 8)
Cleveland police are hunting for a gunman suspected of shooting and killing a 5-year-old girl who was sitting in a vehicle with her mother.
Authorities say the shooting happened at about 11 p.m. Sunday on the city's west side. They say a man in a green SUV pulled up to the vehicle, got out and opened fire, striking the two victims. He then fled.
The girl, identified as Jermani Brooks, was killed. Her 33-year-old mother was in fair condition Monday at MetroHealth Medical Center.
Police have not released a name of the suspect, but they found his vehicle abandoned about a mile away from the shooting, Fox 8 reports.
Authorities inspected the vehicle and were able to trace it to the 3500 block of Riverside Avenue, where officers, a SWAT unit and negotiation team are checking for the suspect, according to a press release from the Cleveland Police Department.
Authorities have not determined a motive for the shooting. Brooks' cause of death will be determined by the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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