Baby in critical condition after Bronx gun fight
An 11-month-old baby girl was shot in the face while sitting in a parked car in the Bronx, police said; Bryan Llenas reports on the latest.
New York City police have released new video of the suspect who shot an 11-month-old baby girl in the Bronx during a gunfight on Wednesday night, as incensed Mayor Eric Adams slammed leaders at every level of government for "abandonment" one day after a police officer was shot by a 16-year-old boy in the same borough.
The toddler was caught in the crossfire and shot in the face around 6:45 p.m. Wednesday while she was with her mother inside a car at the intersection of East 198th Street and Valentine Avenue, where at least two men were fighting, police and sources have said. She was rushed to an area hospital where she was in critical condition.
"It is unimaginable that this is happening in our city."
The New York Police Department released video of the suspected gunman running through the intersection – past people and moving cars – and pointing the gun toward his apparent target.
Speaking to reporters after the shooting, Adams said the video showed "there was a total disregard for the innocent people who are walking these streets."
Earlier in the press conference, Adams said whether it is a police officer or a baby shot, "I’m going to stay in these streets until this city is safe. I’m not going to surrender this city to violence."
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He added: "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. They need to have a conversation with this mother. Praying for her baby tonight."
Less than 24-hours earlier, a Bronx police officer was shot by a 16-year-old who had been placed on probation for illegal possession of a gun in December.
"Enough is enough," he said after Thursday’s shooting. "If tonight wasn’t a wake-up call, then I don’t know what will wake us up."
Adams said the baby’s father had just stepped into a nearby drugstore, but left the store when he heard "his wife screaming."
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"Coming outside and seeing his wife holding his baby and a coat colored pink, but stained with red blood from his child," he said. "It’s unimaginable. It is unimaginable that this is happening in our city."
The NYPD has released new video of the suspected gunman who shot an 11-month-old girl in the Bronx on Jan. 19, 2022 (NYPD) (NYPD)
He added: "This is an assault, an abandonment on all levels of government, that we have an endless flow of guns."
Adams said the bullet passed through the young girl’s head. He spoke with the family at the hospital after the shooting, and described them as "the bedrock of our city."
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"These are good parents with three children," he said. "And the first thing the mother did when she walked into the room, is she grabbed our hands, and she prayed. She prayed. She prayed for her city and she prayed the children of this city, and she prayed to end this senseless violence."
The latest shooting comes when violent crimes, namely shootings and murders, are on the rise in many parts of the country. Several cities – Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and Minneapolis, to name a few – reported upticks in murders in 2021.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, a second New York City cop, a detective, was shot in only 24 hours. The detective was conducting a narcotics warrant with several officers when a suspect opened fire and struck him in the leg, Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said.
"We stand here at a hospital once again extremely fortunate that our detective, New York City's detective, is going to recover after being shot. Twenty days into this year, three NYPD officers have been shot. Again, three officers shot in 20 days."
New York City Detectives' Endowment Association President Paul DiGiacomo attributed the alarming crime trends to criminal justice reform.
"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the start of bail reform till now, there's a direct correlation to shootings, drug dealing and violent crime in this city," he told reporters. "It's clearly not working."
He added: "People are dying at an alarming rate. Children are dying at an alarming rate. And this is not fair to the communities in which we serve."
Fox News' Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
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