ST. LOUIS (AP) – An 8-month-old boy was shot to death in his mother’s arms Tuesday, and the suspected shooter – the boy’s father – remained at large, St. Louis police said.
The deadly shooting occurred shortly after 1 p.m. by an Interstate 270 exit ramp near the city limits, St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson said. The baby, Reign Crockett, was shot once as his mother attempted to escape a slowing car in which two other young sons were passengers, Dotson said. Police believe Diata R. Crockett, 34, was aiming at the mother, Dotson said.
The victim’s brothers, ages 2 and 3, were found unharmed several hours later at a family member’s home in the St. Louis suburb of Bellefontaine Neighbors, near Ferguson.
The mother flagged down a passing motorist who drove her and the infant to an area hospital as Crockett pursued them, Dotson said.
According to Dotson, an 11-minute 911 conversation includes audio in which the unidentified Good Samaritan and the boy’s mother, whose name was not released, can be heard saying: “He’s trying to run us off the road. He’s trying to cause an accident. He’s following us.”