Police: 11-Month-Old Child Shot In Face In The Bronx
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- An infant was shot in the face in the Bronx on Wednesday.
Officials say the mother of that baby girl thought a rock had hit her car, but when she turned around, she realized her child had been shot.
It happened around 6:45 p.m. in front of a deli at Valentine Avenue and East 198th Street in Fordham Manor.
Police say according to their preliminary investigation, an individual was chasing another person down Valentine Avenue and discharged their firearm twice.
WATCH: NYPD Provides Update On Bronx Shooting --
A mother and her 11-month-old daughter were sitting in a parked car while the baby's father was inside a nearby deli at the time of the shooting, and one of the bullets struck the baby in the left cheek.
Witnesses say the child's mom was frantically tapping her baby's back, doing what she could to keep the little girl alive before paramedics arrived.
"She was trying to get the baby in the ambulance," one person said.
The child was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital, then transported to the Weill Cornell Medical Center.
Police say the child was last reported to be in critical but stable condition.
"This is completely unacceptable in our city," said Dep. Chief Timothy McCormack, commanding officer of the Bronx detective borough. "An 11-month-old baby. That birthday is going to be in a few days."
As CBS2's Cory James reports, neighbors who captured video of the aftermath were in pure shock.
"It's very sad, very very," one man said.
As for crime in the Bronx, officials say this time last year, they recovered 1,300 firearms off the streets.
As they search for the latest shooting suspect, there is a plea to end the ongoing violence.
"Enough is enough. If tonight wasn't a wakeup call, then I don't know what will wake us up," Mayor Eric Adams said.
"What is the message that we are sending to our children? Our babies deserve to live. They don't deserve to live in communities where they have to dodge bullets every single day," Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson said.
Police are still trying to identify the gunman and the person the gunman was chasing. At this time, the shooting is not believed to be gang related.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). Tips can also be submitted through the Crime Stoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org.