1-year-old and father recovering after New Year's Eve drive-by in Mesquite
By: Amelia Mugavero | CBS NEWS TEXAS
MESQUITE — A one-year-old baby boy and his father are recovering after being hit by a stray bullet from a nearby shooting in the 1600 block of Springwood Drive in Mesquite. Maria Arellano says she and her entire family were eating dinner around 7 p.m. New Year's Eve when they heard a loud noise.
"I thought maybe it was fireworks," Arellano tells CBS News Texas, "but seconds later, my son held his hands to his throat and said 'shots fire shots fired!' That's when everybody got on the floor."
Arellano says ironically, she wanted her family to celebrate New Year's Eve in the safety of her home so they wouldn't get hurt.
Investigators say a suspect drove up near Arellano's home and fired at least nine rounds. One of the bullets went through Arellano's dining room window and grazed her son's neck and the side of her 1-year-old grandson's head.
Arellano says both are in the hospital recovering and will be okay. "I gave thanks to God; by his grace they are alive," Arellano adds.
Lieutenant Brandon Ricketts with Mesquite Police walked CBS Texas through the ring video they obtained from a neighbor's home. Ricketts says the video shows the suspect screeching through the neighborhood in a small, dark SUV. The video shows the suspect stopping, getting out of the car, and firing at another driver nearby.
Police say that the victim did not know the shooter and was not seriously hurt.
"This is every parent's worst nightmare. You can't prepare for something like this because it's unexpected," Ricketts says, "This is why we want to pour a lot of our resources and finding out who did this and why."
Ricketts says investigators have been out in the neighborhood daily, trying to backtrack where the car came from, and keep piecing the puzzle together.
Arellano says she has lived in her home for about 10 years and has heard multiple other shootings happen in their area. She says the bullet holes that remain in her home remind her she could have easily lost two people she loves Sunday night.
"I keep thinking about it. It's so hard. It hurts to think that in a split second, you can lose your life," Arellano explains with tears in her eyes, "I want answers. I want the police to do whatever they need to do to find whoever did this to my kids."
As of right now, investigators say they only have one ring video for evidence, and do not have a description of the suspect or of the vehicle.
Police are urging anyone with video or information to contact them.