A 10-month-old boy died in his father’s arms after being shot by three men outside an apartment in the US earlier this week.
The father said he was taking Messiah Justice Marshall for a walk near his Houston home around 1:30pm local time on Wednesday when he was approached by three men, described as in their early 20s.
Police said the three got into an argument with the father, and one of the suspects fired multiple shots at the father, hitting the baby as the father fled.
Bystander Mari Hidalgo told The Sun she heard the frantic father screaming “someone shot my baby” after the attack.
The boy’s father tried to escape and ran to a nearby car driver, who took the boys to a nearby gas station.
The father continued to yell, “Call an ambulance! Call 911!” Police and paramedics arrived at the gas station and the boy was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police are investigating the death of Messiah Justice Marshall after he was shot in his father’s arms. Sources: Facebook, Go Fund Me
“He was just at the beginning of his journey and it was cut short by cowards. They have zero respect for the sanctity of life and are cowards who crossed the line. You don’t shoot a man holding his 10-month-old son,” Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said at a news conference Thursday.
Messiah’s mother, Aaliyah Scott, was inside their apartment when the shooting happened.
“I was just about to take a nap and my son was in his arms and they were going outside to throw out the trash,” Scott told Eyewitness News.
“They were yelling and screaming. It was like an echo. It was really close.”
Driver Joshua Levy told the Houston Chronicle: ” [the father] I was walking around with my baby — he was just like dead in my arms.”
Police are investigating at the scene of the shooting. Photo: Yahoo US
Acevedo called on residents of Nob Hill Apartments to come forward with any information they have.
“There are people in that building who witnessed what happened,” Acevedo said.
“Some of you watching this press conference know what happened. Some of you know who this coward is. I’m calling on you.”
Police are investigating the incident and are working to find the suspects, he said.
“We will not rest until we have these people in custody,” he added.
A Go Fund Me page set up to raise money for Messiah’s funeral has already raised more than $10,000.
Messiah is not the first child to die in a Houston-area shooting.
A 14-year-old boy died Tuesday after being accidentally shot in the head by his twin brother, who was aiming for a snake he found in a ditch.
In March, an 8-year-old girl was shot and killed in a car driven by her mother. The car was apparently involved in a traffic accident, and Houston police arrested a man on suspicion of the shooting.
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