An 11-month-old baby from Philadelphia has been left in a critical condition after being shot three times.
The infant had been seated in the back of a car driven by their stepmother when the incident occurred at approximately 8pm on the night of Saturday, October 20.
The stepmother had been driving through Philadelphia’s Hunting Park section when she heard gunshots being fired. Without realising the baby had been shot, she proceeded to flee the shooting; driving to the 4900 block of North Camac Street.
You can find out more about this story in the following news report:
When she arrived at the destination about 10 minutes later, she noticed five bullet holes in the car and came to the horrifying realisation that the baby had been injured during the shooting.
The child had been shot three times, as reported by NBC Philadelphia, with bullet wounds to their head, chest and buttocks.
The stepmother proceeded to rush the baby to the Einstein Medical Center. They were then transferred to St. Christopher’s Hospital, where they are currently said to be in an extremely critical condition.
The stepmother’s neighbour gave the following comments to NBC10:
I can’t believe it, I hope that baby pulls through. I really do. I really do. Eleven months old. My heart is breaking right now. I don’t know what to do.
At the time of writing, police have not made any arrests and have yet to release information on any potential suspects. Conflicting accounts have been given as to whether the injured baby is a girl or a boy.
PHOTO: Police say this is the car the child’s stepmother was in when the shooting occurred.
Authorities say she drove home after hearing the shots fired and didn’t realize her car and the child had been struck until after she parked.@6abc pic.twitter.com/hjADYuiqum
— George Solis (@GeorgeSolis) October 20, 2019
As reported by 6ABC, three men have also been injured in a triple shooting mere blocks away from where this horrific incident took place.
The three men in question are said to be in a stable condition are are expected to survive. It’s unclear at the time of the writing whether or not the two shooting incidents are connected.
DEVELOPING: Police confirm young child was shot.
Initially transported to Einstein Medical now at St. Christopher’s.@6abc pic.twitter.com/01jJLDyT8e
— George Solis (@GeorgeSolis) October 20, 2019
According to ABC News, police have canvassed the scene of the crime while they search for shell casings.
At the time of writing, no physical evidence has been recovered from the crime scene. The police investigation into this incident remains ongoing.
Police are now urging witnesses who heard shots in the area to come forward. Individuals with any information have been asked to contact police at 215-686-TIPS.
Our thoughts are with the family of this young child at this difficult time.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.