SOUL-CRUSHING

11-Month-Old Baby Shot Four Times While Riding in Car in Philadelphia

The baby’s stepmother reportedly drove away from the sounds of gunfire without realizing her car and the infant inside had been hit.

An 11-month-old baby was left in extremely critical condition on Saturday night after being shot multiple times while inside a vehicle driven through North Philadelphia, police said. The baby’s stepmother had reportedly been driving when she heard gunshots near the 700 block of West Luzerne Street, but she didn’t initially realize her car had been hit. She only discovered the baby had been shot and noticed five bullet holes in her car after parking about 10 minutes later, authorities said. Police say the baby suffered gunshot wounds to the head, chest, and buttocks. “I can’t believe it,” Kim Cash, the woman’s neighbor, told NBC10 upon learning of the shooting. “I hope that baby pulls through. I really do. I really do. Eleven months old. My heart is breaking right now. I don't know what to do.” Police have not yet released any information on suspects. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that three men were shot less than a mile from the scene about an hour before the baby was injured, but it wasn’t immediately clear if police believed those incidents could be connected.