Man walking 3-month-old killed in Hayward, baby okay
HAYWARD, Calif. (KTVU/BCN) - Hayward (KTVU) A father was gunned down while pushing his three-month-old baby in a stroller on a neighborhood street Wednesday afternoon.
Neighbors say they thought they were hearing fireworks, but when they went outside, they saw the man on the street.
"I walked outside and I just saw the person's legs, their feet laying there, the feet and the stroller was on the floor it was knocked over," said Lourdes Iniguez who lives nearby.
The 30-year-old victim was shot and killed about 3:00 p.m. Wednesday on the 200 block of Willow Avenue in his own neighborhood known as Cherryland in unincorporated Hayward.
A crowd gathered near the yellow crime tape. Two sisters of the victim arrived and broke into tears.
The victim was prounounced dead at the scene. The baby was alive and uninjured.
"It's a miracle the child wasn't hurt," said Ken Ferdinand, a neighbor who's lived in the area for decades.
One man who didn't want to give his name, said the victim was his friend and was so proud of his new baby.
"Aw man, he was happy. He called him little man. Said he's like my twin," said the friend.
The man says the victim was known as "Little D" and he had just finished serving time. The man says the victim was happy to be back with his family, proud of his new baby, and looking forward to a fresh start.
"Maybe looking forward to moving from the bay get his own house, just keep that foundation, you know his family together," said the friend,
"I know the family is going to miss him. They're hurting bad."
The shooting has shocked this neighborhood, that is full of families with children.
"That's the most innocent thing.that you could ever do just push your kid down the street. I mean...it's just terrifying," said Desiree Rivera of San Leandro who had come to the neighborhood to pick up her child from a relative's home.
Alameda County Sheriff's investigators used a drone to survey the crime scene and say they will use 3D mapping to help them as they follow several leads.
"We believe there is an associated vehicle. We believe that there's suspects related to a vehicle, whether they got out on foot or shot from the vehicle, those are all things we're working through right now," said Sergeant Ray Kelly, the Alameda County Sheriff's spokesman.
Sgt. Kelly says there has been gang activity in the Cherryland neighborhood and they are looking into that possibility.
The mother and child are getting help from Child Protective Services to make sure the baby is safe.