A 6-month-old Chicago girl was shot five times on Monday while her father was changing her diapers in their minivan, reported CNN. She died Tuesday morning.
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Jonylah Watkins was in critical condition, police said, as she was sent to Comer Children's Hospital. Her father Jonathan Watkins, 28, remains in critical condition at the Northwestern Memorial Hospital, according to FOX News.
At around 12:48 p.m., Jonathan was approached by a gunman on South Maryland Avenue in Woodlawn as he was changing his daughter's diapers inside the vehicle. They fired shots while his daughter was still in the front passenger seat, reported The Huffington Post. The suspect fled in a van, leaving the father and daughter wounded at the scene of their Chevy Venture.
"It was very clear that whoever was doing this was firing at the father, and exclusively at the father, who happened to be sitting in a minivan with the child," Superintendent Garry McCarthy of Chicago police said in an interview with CNN on Tuesday.
The little girl was shot in her lungs, liver, leg, shoulder and intestinal areas, reported DNAinfo Chicago. She underwent a five-hour surgery, until she was pronounced dead the next day.
"This morning, the baby passed away," Rev. Corey Brooks, a spokesman for the family, said in an interview with The Chicago Tribune. "We have another tragedy in the city of Chicago."
The girl's father received wounds in his side and buttocks and a grazed cheek. Authorities said Jonathan is affiliated with a gang. The residence where the shooting occured is prominently known for gang and gun violence.
Currently, officers are still investigating the whereabouts and identity of the shooter. Rev. Brooks said the New Beginnings Church, which he pastors, will offer a $5,000 reward for any information that would lead authorities to the killer.
