‘They Crossed A Line’: Houston Police Speak On 10-Month-Old Baby Who Was Shot Dead In Dad’s Arms
A Houston father on his way to take out the trash with his 10-month-old baby in tow was shot at by three individuals in a shocking incident outside an apartment complex in the Texas city Wednesday afternoon that ended with the man surviving the violent ambush, only to lose his innocent son in the process.
Writers for the New York Daily News report that little Messiah Justice Marshall succumbed to injuries sustained from the rapid gunfire outside the Nob Hill Apartments on June 14, which transpired as Messiah’s dad ran the household errand near his apartment building around 1:30 that afternoon.
As the pair purportedly made their way to empty out the trash, three men were said to have been witnessed by others approaching the father and son and, without warning, suddenly opened fire on the man and little Messiah, who was hit more than once and incidentally shot dead, while still inside of his father’s arms.
“[The father] was screaming and said, ‘somebody shot my baby,'” witness Mari Hidalgo relayed to ABC-13 in Houston on Thursday.
Others who witnessed the shooting said that the heartbroken father continued to cradle his child close to his chest as he ran down the block toward a nearby gas station for help, but sadly, the infant would be pronounced dead by the time medical assistance arrived on-scene.
The manhunt is still underway for the three men involved in the killing of 10-month-old Messiah Marshall. TIMELINE: https://t.co/Rhq19CfCy6 pic.twitter.com/D8hMOkw92Y
— ABC13 Houston (@abc13houston) June 17, 2017
Joshua Levy, who claimed to have driven Messiah’s dad and the baby down the road to the gas station after the shooting, also said that little Messiah was mostly like gone well before the grief-stricken father ran into him for assistance.
“[The father] got in the car and we went to the Valero [gas station] because I saw a cop there earlier,” Levy shared.
“[But] I was a little nervous [and] my legs started shaking [because] it was so sad seeing him walk around with his baby, basically dead, in his hands.”
Houston Police Chief Art Acevado stated as a press conference regarding the baby’s death that those who shot the child had effectively “crossed a line.”
10-month-old Messiah Marshall was shot at his SW Houston apt yesterday. Witnesses say it looked like his dad was the target. #khou11 pic.twitter.com/jQ91PHv7gR
— Stephanie Whitfield (@KHOUStephanie) June 15, 2017
“He was just at the beginning of his journey and his journey was cut short by cowards who have absolutely no respect for the sanctity of life, by cowards that crossed a line,” Police Chief Acevado expressed.
He then issued a stern warning to the assumed gunmen.
“We’re not going to rest until we bring these people into custody,” the law enforcement officer said.
“[It] doesn’t matter what motivated them. They crossed an extremely, extremely clear line. We’re not going to put up with this. You don’t shoot at a man carrying his 10-month old son.”
Houston police are said to be inquiring Messiah’s father on the identities of any possible suspects who shot the baby. Funeral services and the name of the Houston infant’s mother have not been shared publicly.
[Featured Image by carlballou/iStock]
