A little girl in a baby carriage was hit in the head by a stray bullet when gunfire erupted outside a Staten Island apartment complex Wednesday afternoon.
The toddler, who is just shy of her second birthday, was being looked after by her grandmother and aunt as they enjoyed a sunny afternoon outside of the Arlington Terrace apartments in Mariners Harbor, neighbors said.
Then, shortly before 2 p.m., gunshots turned the afternoon tranquility into a scene of horror.
At least one stray gunshot struck the tot in the side of her head as she sat inside the carriage, leaving her gasping for air – and touching off chaos in the courtyard.
« The baby had blood all over the place – on her face and on her neck, » said witness Samantha James, 22.
« She was crying. She was gasping for air. She couldn’t breathe. People were screaming, running everywhere, panicking. »
Police said the little girl was in critical but stable condition at a Staten Island hospital, but further details on the gun violence were not immediately available.
Witnesses said the shooting appeared to cap off an argument between at least two people.
One suspect was collared a short time after the shooting on Richmond Terrace near South Ave., police said.
The incident took an unforeseen turn when cops were forced to evacuate residences on nearby Christopher St., near Mersereau Ave., after investigators stumbled upon an apparent explosive device while searching a home for other suspects, a police source said.
