Fresno Man Allegedly Shoots Baby in Head After Mom Rejects Him at Party

Deziree Menagh (L) is seen holding her 10-month-old daughter Fayth Percy. Marcos Antonio Echartea (R) is accused of shooting the little girl in the head in Fresno, Cali., on June 23, 2019. Fresno Police Department

Police said a 10-month-old California girl was shot in the head by a man who was apparently angry that the baby’s mother had spurned his advances at a party.

The tragic incident took place shortly after 4 a.m. on Sunday, June 23, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The infant, identified in the report as Fayth Percy, was rushed to the hospital where she underwent surgery to remove bullet fragments from her head, said Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer via the Times.

The baby remains in hospital in critical but stable condition.

“We’re very fortunate that she’s alive,” Dyer said in a news conference. “It tears my heart up to see a baby of that age laying in the hospital.”

Marcos Antonio Echartea, 23, was arrested later on Sunday in Fresno on suspicion of three counts of attempted murder.

Before the shooting, the child’s mother, identified as 18-year-old Deziree Menagh, was at a Fresno home with the baby. Echartea was also at the residence, The Fresno Bee reported. At one point during the gathering, he reportedly tried to grab the woman’s hand and get her to sit in his lap. She allegedly rejected his advances and left the home with her daughter and a male friend.

Menagh, her daughter, and the male friend initially drove away but stopped some distance way. That is when Echartea allegedly approached their car and fired multiple times, according to The Bee.

“At some point when he got close, he pulled out a handgun and fired three rounds into the driver’s side window, which was up,” Dyer said, according to The Bee. “One of those rounds struck baby Fayth on the side of the head as she was being held by her mother Deziree, who was seated in the right front passenger seat.”

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Echartea was also wanted for another shooting in May. According to the Times, that incident was also “over a female.”

Chicago 6-Month-Old on Life Support, Mother Accused of Slamming Him Into Furniture

The incident recalls the case of a Chicago mother who police said allegedly slammed her 6-month-old son into furniture, leaving the child unconscious and in critical condition.

The disturbing incident took place in the woman’s suburban Chicago home on Friday, June 21, according to the Aurora Police Department via the Chicago Tribune.

Trivea S. Jones, 23, faces charges of battery after hospital staff found the infant suffering from severe trauma and a fractured skull.

Police said they responded to Jones’s home Friday after a neighbor called 911 at her request, Fox reported. The mother reportedly told investigators that her son had suddenly stopped breathing while she was feeding him.

Responders found the infant lying on the floor and tried to resuscitate him, according to ABC7 Chicago. The child was taken to a nearby hospital and was later airlifted to a Chicago trauma center where he remains on life support, police said via ABC7.

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Police cited by NBC said that Jones allegedly admitted to battering the child against a piece of furniture and leaving him unconscious on the floor.

Jones was booked into the Kane County Jail, where she awaits arraignment. Kane County Connects reported that she has been charged with aggravated battery to a child under 13 years old and aggravated domestic battery, both felonies.

Police said the Kane County state’s attorney’s office may seek additional charges against Jones if the child’s condition deteriorates.

The Associated Press contributed to this report