JEROME PARK, the Bronx (PIX11) – Video surveillance shows the gunman who fired shots in the Bronx, leaving a baby girl injured Wednesday night.
Surveillance footage obtained by the NYPD shows the suspect running down a busy street firing shots. He was chasing after someone.
The 11-month-old girl was in a parked car with her mother near Valentine Avenue and East 198th Street when the gunman opened fire nearby, striking the baby, officials said. She was shot in her left cheek.
The infant’s mother called 911 around 6:50 p.m. and officers arrived within two minutes, an NYPD official said. When police arrived, the mom was holding the child. The girl’s dad was inside a grocery store.
The baby, whose first birthday is on Friday, was taken to the hospital in critical condition, officials said.
Police on Thursday morning described the infant’s condition as “stable.”
“This is unacceptable and it needs to stop,” NYPD Deputy Chief Timothy McCormack said.
As of Thursday evening, police said the investigation is ongoing. Police do not know the motive that led to the suspect firing at the intended target. They’re offering a $3,500 reward for information leading to an arrest.
The suspect is described to be a man with a medium build. He last seen wearing a face mask, a dark-colored hooded sweatshirt with a white Nike logo on the front, gray sweatpants and black and white sneakers. He fled the scene in a gray four-door sedan.
PIX11 News’ Jay Dow has more on the community response to recent gun violence below:
“This is not the city our children should grow up in,” Mayor Eric Adams said Wednesday night. “If tonight wasn’t a wake up call, then I don’t know what will wake us up.”
Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson called the shooting “absolutely outrageous.”
“Our babies deserve to live,” she said in an impassioned plea Wednesday night after the shooting. “They don’t deserve to live in communities where they have to dodge bullets every single day. But for communities like ours, it’s all too common.”
Adams went to the hospital on Wednesday night to get an update on the baby’s status, a spokesperson said.
“The first thing the mother did was she walked into the room and she grabbed our hands and she prayed,” Adams said, describing his visit. “She prayed for her city. And she prayed for the children of this city. And she prayed to end this senseless violence.”
Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, downloading the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
