Baltimore Toddler Pulled From Scorching Hot Car: Baby Trapped Inside Vehicle After Dad’s Murder

A 10-month-old Baltimore baby was pulled from a scorching hot car after being trapped inside for about an hour. The toddler watched her father, Ernest Solomon, get shot to death and was forced to remain inside the car until police officers noticed a baby was inside.

Baltimore police officers working the crime scene opted against opening the car door to avoid tampering with any evidence which could be present on or inside the vehicle. It was not until they heard a “whimper” coming from inside that an order was issued to have Solomon’s car keys returned to the scene so the child could be removed from the hot car.

“The windows were tinted very dark when they looked inside the vehicle they discovered a baby, a little girl, who looked to be at least a year or less was in a car seat inside of that vehicle,” Baltimore police detective Donnie Moses told WBAL reporters.

Solomon’s body was battered with a series of bullets in West Baltimore outside of a busy carryout. The father was transported to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later. Ernest Solomon was only 26 years old.

The Baltimore baby was wearing a pink and white onesie underneath a black sweat suit when she was pulled from inside her dad’s incredibly hot car. Both police officers and folks gathered around the crime scene stood in a state of shock for a few moments at the sight of the sweaty toddler. The baby girl was rescued about 20 minutes after homicide detectives arrived on the scene.

Police investigators are still uncertain about the Baltimore toddler had been in the car before the shooting death of her dad. The Ernest Solomon murder happened around 1 p.m. in a bustling area filled with potential witnesses.

“This investigation is open and ongoing,” Detective Moses said. “As always, we’re looking for people to come forward. This happened at 1 o’clock in the afternoon. It was lunchtime at a busy intersection. We know people saw something.”

Baltimore police officers were first called to the Ernest Solomon homicide scene around 1:15 p.m., according to a report by the Daily Mail. The 10-month-old baby girl was reportedly removed from the hot car at about 2:45 p.m. after law enforcement officers heard her whimpering from inside the vehicle.

The toddler, who was secured in a car seat, was taken to a nearby hospital as a safety precaution. One day later she was reunited with her family.

The Baltimore Police Department does not believe the officers at the scene made a mistake by choosing to leave Solomon’s vehicle untouched.

“Who would think that a baby would be in that car in the middle of a shooting scene?” Detective Moses said.

Ernest Solomon is just the latest in a shocking string of homicides plaguing Baltimore. The Maryland city has suffered through record-breaking homicides rate already this year.

The shooting death of Ernest Solomon marks the 76th homicide in the city since the beginning of 2017. Another 48 murders have occurred since the toddler was rescued from the backseat of her father’s car.

Baltimore has not seen 100 homicides in the city before the end of the month of April since 1998. Crime surged in the wake of the Freddie Gray death while in police custody in 2015. That year, the deadliest on record in Baltimore, 344 people were killed in the city.

If a drop in the homicide rate does not happen, Baltimore will set a new annual murder record. A total of five people were killed on May 6 alone, making it the deadliest day of the year so far in the Maryland city.

What do you think about the Baltimore toddler being found in the hot car after her dad’s murder?

[Featured Image by Gina Buliga/Shutterstock]