An 18-year-old man from the Bronx has been arrested in connection with the shooting of a 5-year-old girl outside an apartment building in the Bronx early Sunday, police tell NBC 4 New York.
The suspect, Angel Morales, was arrested Sunday evening. He was charged with attempted murder and possession of a weapon. It wasn't immediately known if he had an attorney.
The victim, Hailey Dominguez, is in stable condition at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital. She was caught in the crossfire at about 1 a.m. Sunday outside her Hughes Avenue apartment in Tremont, but is expected to be OK.
Police say the child had been attending a baby shower and was playing with other kids when gunshots rang out, witnesses said.
"It echoed, a loud bang," said a witness who did not want to be identified.
It was only after people fled the scene that the girl realized she had been shot. Neighbor Carmen Rosario said she found the child sitting in shock in a stairwell inside the building.
"I heard a bunch of screaming and went out to see what was going on," Rosario said. "I called 911 not realizing she was hit."
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"She was so quiet," she said. "Then police came and opened up the jacket as I held her. She was bleeding."
Rosario said the children appeared to be unsupervised at the party when the gunshots rang out.
"There were no adults around when the girl went looking for help," she said. "It doesn't make sense."
