Baby killed, two children wounded in random New York drive-by shooting
One child is dead and two others wounded after a seemingly random shooting in Syracuse, New York.
Just before 7pm on Sunday, two women were traveling eastbound on Lincoln Avenue along with their three children – an 11-month old, a 3-year-old and an 8-year-old – when a car coming westbound began shooting at them.
Deputy Police Chief Derek P McGork gave a press conference on Monday morning addressing the shooting. He said officers responded to the call and found that the three young girls had been shot.
All three children were taken to Upstate Medical Hospital for treatment. The 11-month old did not survive.
Syracuse Police Chief Kenton Buckner told reporters at the briefing that the other two children are in stable condition and are expected to survive. One of the girls was shot in the hip. The other narrowly escaped being killed, according to District Attorney Bill Fitzpatrick.
He also said the investigation was still ongoing and called on the public's assistance to find out who was responsible for the random shooting.
"Individuals like this should not have any shelter in this community," Mr Buckner said. "We need information and for people to come forward. These were babies in the back seat of this car, so we certainly need the public to do their part in this."
Mr Buckner said the police were not going to release the names of the victims, as they are minors and there is no known motive or leads on a suspect.
Shakema Buckmon, the mother of the two girls who survived, told local broadcaster NewsChannel 9 that the five of them were on their way to go grocery shopping when the shooting began.
“I tried to save her. I tried. I tried to save my baby cousin. I tried to save her. But it was too late,” she said. “My cousins didn’t deserve this. We didn’t deserve this. We’re just regular people. We didn’t deserve this, like why? What is this for.”
The police chief said he wants justice for the killed baby, even if the shooting was an accident.
"Regardless of whether they intended to hit the kids or not, there's a baby that's dead and we want to hold the individuals who are responsible for that accountable for that," Mr Buckner said.
Ben Walsh, the mayor of Syracuse, said the shooting was "incompressible" and "senseless."
"This is a nightmare. An unimaginable tragedy. All my thoughts are with the family, with the 11-month-old whose life was stolen, with the two other children who are recovering from their injuries and with all the others that are mourning," Mr Walsh said.
