NYPD: Shooting of 5-year-old girl in Bronx connected to homicide the day before
NEW YORK -- There is new information on the 5-year-old shot while sitting in a car with her parent in the Bronx. Police gave an update on her condition Sunday as they continue to search for the gunman.
Edward Caban, the NYPD's acting police commissioner, promised the parents of the little girl that they will find the person responsible for the gunfire that sent the 5-year-old to the hospital. He also said police resources have been moved to higher-crime areas because of recent shootings.
READ MORE: NYPD investigating 2 shootings in under 48 hours in Williamsbridge section of the Bronx
A calm Friday evening turned chaotic on East 214 Street near Holland Avenue in Williamsbridge when gunfire erupted during a vigil for a shooting victim who died a block away a day earlier.
"I heard, 'bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam,'" neighbor Brenda Francis said.
Detectives say a bullet hit the girl in the back as she sat in a car with her father. On Sunday, his second day on the job, Caban visited her at Montefiore Hospital.
"The kid was in very good spirits, very happy," Caban said.
That came as welcome news. Caban went on to say there were two shootings -- the first on East 213th and Holland, which killed 26-year-old Justin Rodriguez and injured another man early Thursday. Then, a day later and a block away, the girl was shot during a vigil for Rodriguez.
"What we know is the shooting at the vigil was related to a homicide the night before around the block," NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said.
Now, with the summer season in full swing and an increase in gunfire this weekend, police are taking action.
"I can tell you I was on the phone with the commissioner last night. He allowed us to move some resources around to some of the deployment zones that we have created. And I can tell you from 11 o'clock last night through right now, we took no shootings, no violence on the midnight shift on a summer on July 2," Chell said.
Police are still trying to determine a motive for the two shootings and who the intended targets were.
