'The baby’s shot!': 7-month-old killed in NYC as motorbike gunman opens fire; one suspect in custody, another at large

A man was in police custody on Wednesday (April 1) following the fatal shooting of a 7-month-old infant in Brooklyn, authorities said. According to Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch, the suspect was riding on the back of a motorbike in Williamsburg when he opened fire. The baby girl, who was sitting in a stroller with her parents, was struck by a stray bullet. Police are still searching for a second suspect who was driving the motorbike at the time of the shooting.

The incident occurred around 1:15 pm on Humboldt Street. Surveillance footage shows the motorbike traveling the wrong way before approaching the corner of Humboldt and Moore Streets. The passenger then pulled out a gun and fired at a group of adults and children gathered outside Sem Sem Deli. The suspects fled but later crashed into an oncoming car. The baby’s father rushed her to Woodhull Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Authorities later identified her as Kaori Patterson-Moore of Clinton Hill.

Also Read: US Supreme Court questions Trump’s push to end birthright citizenship; final verdict likely in July

Investigators have not yet determined the motive or intended target. The suspect in custody had not been formally charged as of Wednesday evening. “As a mother,” Ms. Tisch said, “I cannot imagine the pain.” Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the tragedy “a devastating reminder of how much more work has to be done to combat gun violence across this city.” “We cannot accept this as normal in our city,” he said. “We cannot be numb to this pain.”

Witnesses described a chaotic scene. Vincent Valcassel, a longtime Williamsburg resident, said he heard a loud gunshot after seeing two men arguing. “All of a sudden I heard a shot, real loud,” he said. He then saw the infant on the ground as the mother screamed, “Baby, baby, baby! The baby’s shot!”

Another witness, Bernius Maldonado, said she initially mistook the gunfire for firecrackers before realizing she had been hit by debris. “It was burning my legs; I didn’t know what hit me,” she said. She recalled urging the baby’s father to rush to the hospital. “He grabbed the baby, he just ran,” she said.