Police Seek Gunman Who Critically Injured Infant

Police continued to search for suspects Saturday in the gang-related shooting in Reseda that left a 2-month-old girl in extremely critical condition at a local hospital.

The victim’s father is affiliated with a gang from the Van Nuys area and was the shooter’s intended target, said Los Angeles Police Sgt. Alan Sorkness of the West Valley Division.

The shooting occurred about 7:15 p.m. Friday, as a woman was picking up her 19-year-old boyfriend, the victim’s father, in the 18100 block of Gault Street, Officer Eduardo Funes said.

When the boyfriend got into the car, a dark-brown Chevrolet Blazer pulled up and a man got out and shot into the passenger side of the couple’s car with a semiautomatic pistol, police said.

The couple’s two daughters, ages 2 months and 17 months, were sitting in car seats in the back. The 2-month-old was shot once in the torso, Funes said.

The suspect got back in the Blazer, which sped away. Police said three other men were in the waiting vehicle.

The couple rushed the baby to a local hospital, where she remained in extremely critical condition Saturday, police said.

Dale Gefre, 44, a lifelong resident of the neighborhood, said he saw the Blazer speed around the corner after the shooting. Gefre said he had seen the vehicle in the neighborhood about a week before.

He also said young men who look like gang members come and go frequently near the spot where the shooting occurred.

The dark-brown Blazer had a roof rack and a spare tire mounted on the tailgate, Police Officer Kathy Simpson said.

Anyone with information is asked to call LAPD West Valley detectives at (818) 756-8546.