A three-year-old Louisiana girl was fatally injured in a drive-by shooting at Baton Rouge, according to police. The girl, Ibrie Combs, was struck by a bullet and died at the spot, while the suspects fled in their car. Also, the driver of the car in which Combs was riding was severely injured and had to be admitted to the hospital.
Baton Rouge police officials said that they are still investigating the incident and are yet to make any arrests. The department has also appealed to the public to help them track the culprits and provide information if they get to know anything about the suspects.
Killed for No Reason
According to police, gunfire broke out in the 400 block of South Flannery road near Darwin Boulevard on Friday night. Initial reports claim Combs was riding in a car and was in the backseat when suddenly a man in another passing by vehicle started firing several rounds from his gun. One of the bullets struck Comb, while the driver of her car too suffered injuries trying to save the vehicle from overturning.
Police were first called around 9 pm. Officers said the shooting was unprovoked but was well planned because the men in the car easily fled the scene. Credit cards, loose change, pens and a child's flip flop are scattered all over the ditch on South Flannery road following the shooting. A description of the passing vehicle wasn't immediately available.
Tragic and Horrifying
Both the police and the victim's family said that they are still unsure about the motive of the murder and if the child was the actual target. "Last night a beautiful life was taken in our city," Baton Rouge Police Chief Murphy Paul said in a statement, adding that the "senseless gun violence" left the department "brokenhearted" along with Combs' family.
John Fontenot, a witness who lives around the area and overheard the gunshots, said that he will never forget what he heard on Friday night. Fontenot said that he had just got off a bus and was walking to his house when heard three shots go off. "It sounded like fireworks, but the shots that came after that it wasn't fireworks, it was firearms. I could semi-see through the bushes and wait a minute because I got off the road and into a ditch. I started walking this way. Police came and I just backed away. I told one of the lieutenants I heard gunshots," he said.
According to the police, the suspect or suspects responsible for the killing of Combs reside in the community and have urged citizens to come forward with any information since they are yet to make any arrests.
