A 7-month-old baby from Toledo, Ohio, tragically died after she was shot in the chest while sitting next to her dad in his car.
Desire Hughes was rushed to a hospital after being shot on Wednesday night but she succumbed to her injuries, according to the Lucas County Coroner’s Office.
Her grieving father, 20-year-old Jeremiah Hughes, was grazed by a bullet and has been discharged from the hospital.
Police believe the shooting was gang or drug-related.
Speaking to the Toledo Blade, Hughes said: “I was a happy dad, you feelin’ me? She was gonna change my life, man.
“That was the one that was gonna change my life.
“That’s why I’m so sick, I don’t even know what to do. My baby… they really took that girl from me.”
The incident is under investigation and no suspects have been identified.
Toledo Police Chief George Kral has urged community members to check on their doorbell monitors outdoor cameras for any clues about the shooting.
Kral told the Blade: “I’m imploring the community to reach out and help us out. I mean this is a 7-month-old child, who has never done anything wrong in her little life… we need justice for this young person.”
Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz also condemned the murder, which was the fourth homicide reported in one week in Ohio.
“No one pulls up to a car and shoots into another car randomly,” Kapszukiewicz said.
“It’s unfair to the 275,000 who live in the city to feel less safe than they should have because of the 50 people in a gang who are playing out a revenge drama that affects all of us.”
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