Bullet Kills Boy Atop Father’s Shoulders

A 2-year-old boy being carried on his father’s shoulders was fatally wounded early Saturday morning, struck by a bullet fired by a 16-year-old suspected gang member who was aiming at occupants of a passing car, Inglewood police said.

The toddler, Erick Jimenez, suffered a gunshot wound to the face. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died, said Sgt. Bill Thompson.

The boy’s parents, Rodolfo Jimenez and Oralia Porcayo, were walking home from a restaurant with Erick and their 1-year-old daughter shortly after midnight when the shooting occurred.

As the family walked northbound along Prairie Avenue near 102nd Street, gunfire erupted from across the street.

“Suspects on foot had opened fire on a passing vehicle, and one of the shots went awry,” Thompson said.

The boy was struck in the face as he sat atop his father’s shoulders. No one else in the family was injured.

Police said the group on foot thought the car carried rival gang members. Occupants in the car did not fire and were not arrested, Thompson said.

Police searched the area with dogs and helicopters and arrested 10 people, ages 15 to 25, Thompson said. Investigators recovered a weapon believed to have been used in the shooting.

“We’re confident we have the shooter,” Thompson said.