Holly MatkinMerced, CA – A nine-month-old boy was murdered in a drive-by shooting on Wednesday as his mother was pushing him down the sidewalk in a stroller, according to police.
The horrific attack occurred in the 1200-block of Q Street shortly before 12:30 p.m. on Nov. 9, the Merced Police Department (MPD) said in a press release later that night.
The mother of nine-month-old Darius King Grigsby later told investigators she and her boyfriend were pushing her young son in a stroller when someone drove by them and fired at least three rounds in their direction, WHNS reported.
The woman and her boyfriend were not hit by the gunfire, but at least one of the rounds struck the baby, police said.
Darius’ mother rushed him to a nearby McDonald’s restaurant at 13th and R Street and contacted police, according to the MPD.
They arrived to find the baby “suffering from a fatal gunshot wound,” the department said.
Darius was pronounced dead at the scene.
The gunman’s identity was unknown and no information about a potential suspect vehicle was immediately released.
“We don’t know what the motive is,” MPD Lieutenant Joseph Perez told KFSN. “At this point, it’s possible that maybe one of the parents was a possible target and the child was just tragically caught in the crossfire.”
The investigation remains ongoing.
Detectives canvassed the area for witnesses and said they have been seeking out security footage of the attack.
One neighbor reported having turned over a home surveillance video of the shooting to police, KFSN reported.
The video captured the sound of the gunfire and showed the mother grabbing her wounded son out of the stroller and screaming for help.
“They killed my baby!” she yelled, according to KFSN.
The MPD urged anyone with information about the horrific murder to contact police immediately.
“This happened at a busy time of day,” Lt. Perez told The Fresno Bee. “If there’s anybody out there that saw something that the police didn’t speak to, if they can reach out to the police.”
