Shooting in Maryland leaves 3-year-old boy dead and mother wounded

A 3-year-old boy was killed and his mother injured in a shooting outside an apartment complex in Maryland, according to the police.

A detective working in the Hyattsville area late Thursday afternoon heard the gunshots and responded to the scene. The woman and child were found suffering from gunshot wounds in the courtyard of an apartment complex, according to Prince George’s County Police.

Paramedics transported the baby to Children’s National Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The mother was taken to a D.C. hospital and is in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries.

“The young baby did nothing to anyone. He did not deserve to die because someone wants to come out here and play with guns,” Assistant Chief Vernon Hale said during a press conference. “Bullets come down, and they have real consequences. I can only pray that they weren’t trying to kill a child, but I don’t know at this point.”

The circumstances leading up to the shooting remain unclear.

Police said multiple individuals called to report seeing people shooting, but there is no description of the suspect. The police are asking for help identifying those responsible, offering a $25,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest in the case. 

“Somebody in this community knows who did this. I’m asking each and everyone of you to contact your friends, your family and anyone else,” Hale said. “This isn’t about snitching. This is about justice for the victims.”