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Oakland police say stray bullet struck 15-month-old riding in car with family
A 15-month-old baby is in stable condition after she was struck by gunfire while riding in a car with her family in Oakland.
OAKLAND, Calif. - The family of a 15-month-old girl who was shot in a car in Oakland said the girl is recovering in the hospital, but she will need two more surgeries this week due to damage to her internal organs.
The parents told KTVU they were on their way home from the laundromat when they heard bullets hit their car at the intersection of 11th Avenue and E. 15th Street. Their two daughters were in the backseat and their 15-month-old started crying. We’re told the father didn’t realize his daughter had been hit until they arrived home a few blocks away and they quickly rushed the girl to Oakland Fire Station 4 for help.
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15-month-old child shot while riding in car in Oakland, taken to fire station for help
A baby was brought to a fire station in Oakland, with at least one gunshot wound. Firefighters say the 15-month-old girl was shot in the abdomen. Family members banged on the doors of Fire Station 4 to get help. Firefighters rendered aid on the sidewalk until paramedics arrived.
Oakland Fire Chief Reginald Freeman credited firefighters/EMS personnel for their quick actions.
"This is what I would say is a worst case nightmare scenario for us to have to render this type of EMS care to an infant," Freeman said.
EMS personnel applied pressure to the girl’s wound and called for a Falck ambulance. Freeman said an ambulance was initially 15 minutes out, but a Falck supervisor heard the call and redirected an ambulance to the fire station. It arrived in two minutes.
"I'm so proud of the heroism, their selfless service, their quick thinking… And it's because of their actions that doctors have credited them with saving this infant's life," he said.
Surveillance video obtained by police shows a man standing a block away on 11th Avenue shooting at an unknown car at the intersection where the family was stopped, according to Lt. Seth Neri.
"We believe the victims were not the intended target but were caught in the crossfire and a stray bullet struck the child," Neri said. "Being a father myself, I can only imagine what the family is going through. Our investigators will work around the clock to identify the individual or individuals responsible for this careless act."
Acting Deputy Chief Roland Holmgren called the incident unacceptable.
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"If it doesn’t hit you in your soul a certain way, that's a problem," Holmgren said. "We need to come together and do something about this because this is nonsense."
Her family said the bullet entered and exited the girl’s abdomen. A second bullet also grazed the shoulder of their older daughter, but that girl is OK.
The girl’s family declined to publicly release her name or a photo, but they thanked first responders for helping their daughter. They’ve asked the public for prayers.
"They continue to thank Oakland firefighters for their efforts and all they did to save their child's life," Freeman said.
The Oakland Mayor’s office did not respond to our requests for comment. City Council President Nikki Fortunado Bas released the following statement to KTVU: