Stray bullet kills toddler in car seat

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Stray bullet kills toddler in car seat

Posted: 4/17/2006 8:40:31 PM EDT

Take nothing for granted. Any moment may be your or your child's last.

Stray bullet kills toddler in car seat

NEW YORK (AP) -- Sobbing and clutching her son's toy, the mother of a 2-year-old killed when a stray bullet pierced their minivan on Easter urged police to find her son's killer.

"I want him to wake up every day and see my face and hear my voice and see my son's picture every day," Joanne Sanabria told reporters.

David Pacheco Jr., dressed in his Easter best, was strapped in a car seat Sunday afternoon as the family drove through the Bronx a few miles from home.

"I was driving and I heard the gunshot and I heard my son screaming," Sanabria, 28, said Monday. "God only knows how much I wish that bullet would have hit me."

Her daughters, ages 8 and 11, and her sister's family were also in the vehicle but unharmed.

According to police, the shots were fired as two groups of men argued.

An off-duty emergency medical technician, Angelo Cruz, heard the gunfire and ran to help the toddler, but the shooter disappeared.

The little boy had been struck in the chest and was pronounced dead about 45 minutes later.

His father, David Pacheco, said Monday he owes his thanks to Cruz. He said the resuscitation effort gave him time to see his son alive one last time.

Grieving family and friends described the boy as energetic and always smiling. "He was a happy kid," his uncle Victor Castillo said.

Suspect In Shooting Death Of Bronx Toddler Turns Himself In
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One of the two suspected gunmen wanted in connection with the shooting death of a 2-year-old boy in the Bronx on Easter Sunday turned himself in to police Monday night.

According to investigators, 26-year-old Nicholas Morris surrendered to authorities at a local precinct. The NYPD says a .22 caliber rifle, marijuana and drug paraphernalia was also recovered from the suspect’s apartment.

Authorities are still searching for 25-year-old Ronneil Gilliam in connection with the case.

According to investigators, both Morris and Gilliam have a prior criminal history, and Gilliam lives on the same street where the child was shot.

David Pacheco was hit by a stray bullet when his family's van got caught in the crossfire of a shootout while driving on West Tremont Avenue in Morris Heights yesterday.

The toddler was strapped in his car seat traveling with his mother and two sisters to a family Easter celebration when the bullet hit him. He died a short while later at Bronx Lebanon Hospital.

Pacheco's mother, Joanne Sanabria – clutching her son's stuffed toy and wearing his chain on Monday – had harsh words for the little boy's killers.

"You think you're gonna have a life after this. Every day you wake up and every day you go to sleep, you'll see my son's face and you'll hear my voice," she said. "I don't ever want you to forget that. No jail time, no nothing. This is your death sentence: hearing me, what you took from me."

Witnesses tell NY1 that an argument between two men turned into a gun battle around 2:00 p.m.

A good Samaritan who's also an EMT began giving the little boy mouth to mouth.

"I put the baby on top of the hood and I started doing CPR, and I was breathing into the baby,” said Angelo Cruz. “All of a sudden out, of nowhere, a cab driver came out and he said, ‘Hurry up, I'll help you.’ So me and the mother jumped into the car and I continued doing CPR all the way to the hospital. Inside the cab, the baby did come through, opened his eyes for a brief second and stretched out this way."

Despite their best efforts, the toddler died at the hospital.

His mother and father made a desperate plea to the public Monday to help catch the killer.

"If anybody could find it in their hearts. If they know this person, if they've seen this person, all I want is justice for my baby," said Sanabria.

The toddler's uncle called the shooter a coward. "They have no heart," said Victor Castillo. "They think they run the streets."

Police are asking anyone with any information about the case to call the Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS.

Posted: 4/17/2006 8:42:33 PM EDT

[#1]

Sometimes life just plain sucks.

Posted: 4/17/2006 8:48:56 PM EDT

[#2]

No matter how careful you are or what you're doing at the time, when it's your time to go it's your time to go.

It sucks and it's a terrible thing for the mother and the rest of the family. What sucks even worse is that the guy who did it will probably only serve a few years and then he'll be back out doing the same shit.

Penalties for killing someone in situations like this should be stiffer, but that's for another thread.

Posted: 4/17/2006 8:52:11 PM EDT

[#3]

Damn thats horrible.

At least people TRIED TO HELP. Some comfort in that.

Damn shitty situation.

And lock those two fuckers UNDER the jail.

Posted: 4/17/2006 8:56:45 PM EDT

[#4]

damn shitty thing

More ammo for the mayor's expand NYCs laws crusade

Posted: 4/17/2006 10:14:43 PM EDT

[#5]

Turned himself in?

Interesting development. At least he has a conscience.

NTM

Posted: 4/17/2006 10:18:14 PM EDT

[#6]

I read about this in the NY Post today. Reason #130863 not to live in/visit NY City. I can't believe shit like this.

This will give Bloomburg another reason to bitch about guns.

Posted: 4/17/2006 10:44:04 PM EDT

[#7]

Quoted:
Turned himself in?

Interesting development. At least he has a conscience.

NTM

Most likely he wasnt the trigger man. The other dude was doing most of the shooting and this guy didnt want to face the murder rap.

Posted: 4/18/2006 7:32:12 AM EDT

[#8]

Unfortunate. God bless them.

Posted: 4/18/2006 7:36:09 AM EDT

[#9]

Posted: 4/18/2006 7:41:58 AM EDT

[#10]

It is times like these that I wished I believed in a god. So I would have comfort in the fact that the little one was happy and safe some other place.

No parent should have to outlive a child.

Posted: 4/18/2006 7:44:15 AM EDT

[#11]

That's just so sad. I can only begin to imagine how those poor parents must feel right now.

Posted: 4/18/2006 7:46:10 AM EDT

[#12]

Quoted:
No parent should have to outlive a child.

I never fully appreciated that statement till my daughter came along. I don't know how I would cope.

Posted: 4/18/2006 7:49:40 AM EDT

[#13]

Quoted:
Quoted:
No parent should have to outlive a child.

I never fully appreciated that statement till my daughter came along. I don't know how I would cope.

If you don't have kids, you have no idea how painful it is just to *read* about something like this. It's enough to bring tears to your eyes.

Posted: 4/18/2006 8:00:45 AM EDT

[#14]

Quoted:
If you don't have kids, you have no idea how painful it is just to *read* about something like this. It's enough to bring tears to your eyes.

No kidding. The moment I read it I instantly visualized my 2 year old son in that car seat.

It also calls up some pretty imagery of what I'd like to do to those responsible.

I'm thinking I'd tie them into carseats, then toss them into a vehicle hulk scheduled to be used as a target for A-10 gun training.

-Mark

Posted: 4/18/2006 8:06:34 AM EDT

[#15]

Posted: 4/18/2006 8:13:42 AM EDT

[#16]

I hope the other man responsible is brought to justice and Joanne Sanabria gets to throw the switch on those scumbags.

Posted: 4/18/2006 8:21:39 AM EDT

[#17]

This is a dark day in deed.

Posted: 4/18/2006 8:39:27 AM EDT

[#18]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
No parent should have to outlive a child.
I never fully appreciated that statement till my daughter came along. I don't know how I would cope.
If you don't have kids, you have no idea how painful it is just to *read* about something like this. It's enough to bring tears to your eyes.

Exactly.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Stray bullet kills toddler in car seat

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