Baby girl shot in chest and killed in Ohio while sitting in car next to father who suffered abrasion: cops say murder was drug or gang related
- Seven-month-old Desire Hughes was shot in the chest and killed in a drive-by shooting in Toledo, Ohio on Wednesday night
- She sat next to her father, Jeremiah Hughes, 20, who suffered a graze and is now mourning the loss of his daughter
- No suspects have been identified in the shooting as Toledo Police are urging residents to check outdoor cameras for clues to the shooters
- Desire’s murder is the fourth murder reported in Toledo this week
A seven-month-old girl was shot in the chest and killed while sitting next to her father in a drive-by shooting in Toledo, Ohio.
Desire Hughes was shot Wednesday night and treated for at least one gunshot wound to the chest before succumbing to her injuries, the Lucas County Coroner’s Office reported.
Her father, Jeremiah Hughes, 20, was shot in the shooting and has since been discharged from hospital as he mourns the death of his daughter.
“I was a happy father, do you feel me? She would change my life man,” Hughes told the Toledo Blade after arriving home Thursday. “That was the one that would change my life.
“That’s why I’m so sick, I don’t even know what to do,” he added. ‘My baby… they really took that girl away from me.’
Seven-month-old Desire Hughes (pictured) was shot dead while sitting next to her father during a drive-by shooting in Toledo, Ohio, on Wednesday night
Jeremiah Hughes, 20, was hit by a bullet in the shooting and has since been discharged from hospital as he mourns the loss of his daughter. The father is pictured with his little girl
No suspects have been identified in the shooting as Toledo Police are appealing to residents for information
No suspects have been identified as the shooting is under investigation.
Toledo Police Chief George Kral has urged members of the community to check their outdoor cameras or doorbell monitors for clues to the shooting.
“I beg the community to come forward and help us,” Kral told the Blade. “I mean, this is a 7 month old who has never done anything wrong in his little life…we need justice for this young person.”
Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz condemned Desire’s murder, the fourth homicide reported in the Ohio city this week, and indicated that gang violence was involved in the latest murder.
“Nobody stops at a car and accidentally shoots at another car,” Kapszukiewicz told Blade.
“It’s unfair to the city’s 275,000 residents to feel less safe than they should because the 50 members of a gang are acting out revenge drama that affects us all.”
Desire’s murder is the fourth homicide reported in Toledo, Ohio this week
Two months ago, Damia Ezell, 10, was also shot in the chest and killed while riding in her uncle’s car in Toledo.
Kenneth White, 24, was driving through the Old West End with his niece when a dark-colored vehicle with tinted windows pulled up next to him and fired on his car. Ezelle was killed and White was taken to the hospital for life-threatening injuries.
Lucas County Children Services Executive Director Robin Reese said there is now a “worrying trend” of children becoming victims of gun violence on the county’s streets.
“This can’t be something normal that we’re getting used to,” she said in a statement.
“Children are literally dying on our streets. We cannot accept that.”
Reese led the annual Lucas County Children Services memorial service, which recognizes children who have died from abuse or violence in the past year, on Thursday, hours after Desire’s death.