Man holding baby fatally shot in the Bronx; suspect sought
NEW YORK -- Police in the Bronx are searching for a gunman after a man was fatally shot while holding his baby daughter.
Police released surveillance video of the suspect late Tuesday night.
Witnesses say 21-year-old Allen McQueen was holding his baby girl Taylor in his arms, enjoying the afternoon surrounded by children on a hot summer day, when all of a sudden there was the frightening sound of gunfire.
"I saw him take his last breath. I saw him spit up blood. I grabbed the baby from underneath him, she was drenched in blood," said Arielle Corkery, a witness. "She was in shock she was just staring up into the sky."
It happened around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday across the street from Taylor Playground in the Parkchester section of the Bronx.
Police say the suspect approached the victim, shot at him and missed.
McQueen, holding his 13-month-old daughter, then ran down Taylor Avenue and the suspect fired two additional rounds at the victim, striking him once in the back.
Police say the suspect then fled in a grey Mercedes with unknown New York plates.
Witnesses say the bullet was just inches away from hitting his daughter.
"I just saw a bunch of kids ducking looking for cover. The park scattered like a bomb went off. Just frozen when everything happened," said Luis, a witness.
McQueen died at Jacobi Hospital. His daughter suffered just a bump on her head and was treated and released from Jacobi Hospital.
Family members are frightened and hoping the suspect is caught soon.
"He was a good dad. He saw Taylor a lot," said Bianca, the baby's aunt. "Just knowing something could've happened, we're very close and now he's gone. Her daughter will never have a father again."
Tuesday night, blue police tape was replaced with candles and notes to the victim's family, as a neighborhood did its best to cope with what happened.
"To do that to someone with a baby in their arms, I just can't understand that. I feel for the baby, now she grows up without her dad," Corkery said.
