Police: 3-year-old girl shot while leaving day care with father in Brooklyn
NEW YORK -- A 3-year-old girl is the latest victim of gun violence in New York City.
Police say about five shots were fired as the 3-year-old girl and her father were leaving a day care on Riverdale Avenue near Amboy Street in Brownsville just after 6 p.m.
A single slug hit the child in the shoulder
"A 3-year-old girl little girl laying there with a gun shot wound to her shoulder. And the officers immediately began rendering aid. They bandaged her. They decide they're not even going to wait for an ambulance. They scoop her up, they jump back in the police car," NYPD Chief of Department Kenneth Corey said.
Police say the child is in stable condition at Brookdale Hospital.
She is the third child shot in as many months in the city.
"When do we come together as a community and as a city and say enough is enough? An 11-month-old child was shot two months ago. Last week, a 7-year-old child was shot," Corey said.
Police don't believe she and her dad were the intended targets.
"It's not even the people they after. It's innocent bystanders that have nothing to do with it. Babies, our future. That's not fair that they can't even walk across or come from day care to go home without worrying about what's gonna come around the corner," Brownsville resident Shameeka Ruiz said.
"I'm glad she's expected to survive because, you know, it could've been worse, but it's a shame," Brownsville resident Cobia Powell said.
"Why does it take a 3-year-old to get us outraged? What about the 14- and 15-year-olds? They're children. They're getting shot, sometimes by other children. We need to fix this. We need to save these children and we need to save our city," Corey said.
Police are searching for a single shooter who fled on foot after he opened fire.
"Someone knows him. Help us catch him before he shoots another child," Corey said.
