‘Taken in an instant’: 7-month-old baby girl shot dead in Brooklyn on walk with mom, suspected shooter caught
A 7-month-old child was shot dead in Brooklyn, possibly with a stray bullet, in a horrific crime reported on Wednesday afternoon.
Photo by Dean Moses
A 7-month-old girl was shot dead in Brooklyn, possibly with a stray bullet, in a horrific crime reported on Wednesday afternoon.
Two suspects on board a moped fired the fatal shot near the corner of Moore and Humboldt Streets in East Williamsburg just before 1:25 p.m. on April 1, police reported. The pair fled on the moped to the corner of Manhattan Avenue and Seigel Street, where they crashed into another vehicle.
One of the suspects wound up falling off the ride, and was hospitalized with injuries. Police would take him into custody later on an unrelated domestic violence charge, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Wednesday.
The other suspect involved in the deadly shooting remains at large with an active citywide manhunt underway, Tisch added.
“All New York City police officers have a very clear picture of this outstanding suspect on their phone,” the commissioner said during a press conference outside the 90th Precinct stationhouse on Wednesday afternoon. “In addition, NYPD bloodhounds are currently working to track his movements.”
Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch and police officials investigate the scene where a 7-month-old baby was shot dead in Brooklyn on April 1, 2026.Photo by Dean Moses
The crime sent shockwaves of anguish and anger throughout the city. A remorseful Mayor Zohran Mamdani lamented the tragedy at the press conference, saying the incident was “a devastating reminder of just how much more work there is to be done to combat gun violence across the city.”
“A life that had barely begun was taken in an instant,” Mamdani said. “There are no words that can mend the heartbreak this family is feeling now, no declaration strong enough to lift the grief they are now forced to carry, no embrace wide enough to heal the hole that has been left in their lives. That sorrow is only deepened by the fact that this is not the first family in our city to know this pain.”
How the deadly Brooklyn shooting unfolded
Police said the stunning crime occurred just before 1:25 p.m. on April 1 near 108 Moore St., near Humboldt Street, in East Williamsburg, within the confines of the 90th Precinct.
The female infant victim was being pushed in a stroller by their mother when shots rang out, law enforcement sources said. Upon hearing the shots, the mother and baby sought refuge at a nearby bodega.
Obtained by amNewYork
Seconds later, the mother discovered that her child had been bleeding from the head from an apparent gunshot wound, the sources noted.
“I was in the hospital when the father brought the baby in,” one woman told amNewYork. “The dad brought the baby in. The dad was screaming, ‘Save my baby!’ And the mother was screaming at the top of her lungs.”
The infant was rushed to nearby Woodhull Hospital; despite all efforts, she could not be saved. Police have not yet released the child’s identity.
Sources close to the investigation said the incident happened just before 1:25 p.m. on April 1 near 108 Moore St., near Humboldt Street, in East Williamsburg. The shooting occurred within the confines of the 90th Precinct.Photo by Dean Moses
Tisch said the baby was not an intentional target. While the motive remains under investigation, she noted, detectives believe the shooting may have been gang-related.
“There was so many people trying to help. It was chaotic. It’s like a movie happened so fast, you know, and it’s just, it’s crazy,” said another eyewitness, Vincent Valcassel. “When I heard that shot, I just ducked down, and I didn’t want to look. I didn’t want to look. I heard people screaming, ‘baby, baby, baby, the baby. Shot the baby. Shot the baby.’”
The getaway scooter used in the shooting.Photo by Dean Moses
Sources close to the probe said two suspects were seen fleeing the scene riding a moped traveling along Humboldt Street, confirming an ABC7 report. One individual was spotted firing shots from the back of the moped as another person operated the vehicle. The moped was found ditched several blocks away.
Police determined that the pair rode to the corner of Manhattan Avenue and Seigel Street, about two blocks west of the shooting scene, where they crashed into an oncoming car. The collision, Tisch said, threw both suspects off the moped and to the pavement.
The arrested individual was the rear passenger and suspected shooter; Tisch said he landed so hard on the pavement that he lost both of his shoes, which were eventually recovered. Police said his clothing and appearance matched the shooter’s description.
Meanwhile, cops continue to seek the moped operator, who was described as a male wearing a black surgical mask over his lower face, a white t-shirt and light gray pants. He was last seen fleeing toward the Marcy Houses, a public housing complex in the vicinity of Park and Marcy Avenues.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks about the deadly shooting in Brooklyn on April 1, 2026 as Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch and Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny look on.Photo by Dean Moses
“My heart is heavy today after a baby’s life was stolen by this senseless act of gun violence in Brooklyn. I’m praying for this child’s family and loved ones. May they rest in peace. We must keep working to end gun violence,” New York Attorney General Letitia James wrote on X.
The 90th Precinct had reported just two shootings year-to-date through March 29. There had been no homicides up to that point this year.
Anyone with information regarding the shooting or the suspect’s whereabouts is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
The NYPD has released photos of the suspect.Photo by Dean Moses The NYPD has released photos of the suspect.Photo by Dean Moses The getaway scooter used in the shooting.Photo by Dean Moses
