BamBam
November 1, 2003, 10:48 AM
Tot shot in arms of mom at Halloween
By Bill Dries
Contact reporter
November 1, 2003
The 1-year-old child of a 14-year-old mother trick-or-treating on a Frayser street was shot and critically wounded Friday night when gunfire erupted in an argument between two groups of teenagers.
The baby, whose name and gender were not available, was taken to Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center and was in critical condition early today, Memphis police said. The mother was carrying her child in her arms at the time of the shooting.
Investigators were questioning one group of three to four teenagers who had been riding in a car that was hit by gunfire. Police also were looking for another group of teenagers who were on foot at the time of the shooting.
Witnesses told police the two groups began arguing about 9 p.m. near the intersection of Knob and La Bonte, police Major Danny Cooper said.
"Some kind of words were exchanged, and then the car came back by and shots were fired. We think some shots were fired from the car into the group (on foot) - possibly some shots fired from the group (on foot) at the car," Cooper said.
Police were still trying to determine from where the gunfire that struck the child came.
The back window of a gray Buick, which had stopped a block away, was shattered.
Police said the young mother and her baby were not part of either group involved in the shooting.
"They had nothing to do with it and were some distance from the location of the gunfire," Cooper said.
Neighborhood residents, who did not want to be quoted or identified, said the street was bustling with children and their parents trick-or-treating at the time of the shooting.
As police sealed off the area of the shooting with yellow crime-scene tape, children in Halloween costumes and carrying plastic pumpkins were still seeking treats.
- Bill Dries: 529-2643
By Bill Dries
Contact reporter
November 1, 2003
The 1-year-old child of a 14-year-old mother trick-or-treating on a Frayser street was shot and critically wounded Friday night when gunfire erupted in an argument between two groups of teenagers.
The baby, whose name and gender were not available, was taken to Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center and was in critical condition early today, Memphis police said. The mother was carrying her child in her arms at the time of the shooting.
Investigators were questioning one group of three to four teenagers who had been riding in a car that was hit by gunfire. Police also were looking for another group of teenagers who were on foot at the time of the shooting.
Witnesses told police the two groups began arguing about 9 p.m. near the intersection of Knob and La Bonte, police Major Danny Cooper said.
"Some kind of words were exchanged, and then the car came back by and shots were fired. We think some shots were fired from the car into the group (on foot) - possibly some shots fired from the group (on foot) at the car," Cooper said.
Police were still trying to determine from where the gunfire that struck the child came.
The back window of a gray Buick, which had stopped a block away, was shattered.
Police said the young mother and her baby were not part of either group involved in the shooting.
"They had nothing to do with it and were some distance from the location of the gunfire," Cooper said.
Neighborhood residents, who did not want to be quoted or identified, said the street was bustling with children and their parents trick-or-treating at the time of the shooting.
As police sealed off the area of the shooting with yellow crime-scene tape, children in Halloween costumes and carrying plastic pumpkins were still seeking treats.
- Bill Dries: 529-2643
