Baby killed in police shooting after murder-suspect father shot dead in chase
Bystander video shows police firing barrage of bullets
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A baby boy has died after his murder-suspect father was shot dead in an attempted arrest.
The baby, born in January, died on Tuesday at USA Children’s and Women’s Hospital in Mobile, Alabama, after he was injured during the chase on Monday, authorities said.
His father, Eric Derell Smith, 30, who was wanted in a suspected double-homicide case in Louisiana, was attempted to flee with his son when he was fatally shot.
Major Christopher De Back, of Biloxi Police Department, said in a statement that despite the “efforts of medical staff, the child passed away as a result of the injuries sustained.”
Harrison County, Mississippi, coroner Brian Switzer told The Associated Press an autopsy will be done to determine the cause of death. He said he could not confirm if the boy was shot because he had not seen the body.
Smith was absconding with the baby after allegedly shooting his girlfriend, Christin Parker, 32, and her nephew Brandon Parker, 26. He fled in a blue Nissan Altima with the child, who was living with his mother.
Biloxi police started the chase after they learned Smith entered Mississippi at Interstate 10 and "the suspect drove into the grass median and became stuck," according to Mr De Back.
"As the suspect exited the vehicle, shots were fired. Medical attention was given to the suspect but he died as a result of injuries sustained," it added.
The infant “received injuries” and was taken to a local medical facility for treatment.
A video taken by a bystander showed more than a dozen law enforcement vehicles joining the raid and firing a barrage of gunfire before it ended, according to WLOX-TV.