A Man Allegedly Shot a Baby in the Head in Retaliation for Getting Rejected at a Party

A 10-month old girl is in critical condition after allegedly getting shot in the head by a man who was upset her mother rejected his advances at a party.

According to the L.A. Times, 23-year-old Marcos Antonio Echartea was following 18-year-old Deziree Menagh around at a party in Fresno, California, ignoring her many attempts to avoid him:

Police say Echartea tried to hold Menagh’s hand inside the home, but she pulled away, leaving the house and telling people outside what had happened.

Later, while sitting on a porch at the home, Echartea tried to force Menagh onto his lap, authorities say. She again pulled away and went inside the residence to get her daughter before leaving the party with a male friend.

Menagh and her friend drove around a block before making a U-turn, and that’s when they saw Echartea walking toward the car. He allegedly pulled out a handgun and fired into the rolled-up driver’s side window three times, striking the baby in the head.

Miraculously, the baby is in critical but stable condition after undergoing surgery to remove bullet fragments from her head.

“We’re very fortunate that she’s alive,” Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer said in a press conference conference over the weekend. “It tears my heart up to see a baby of that age laying in the hospital.”

Echartea was arrested on multiple felony charges, including three counts of attempted murder. He’s also a suspect in another shooting that police said was “over a female;” allegedly firing repeatedly into a house owned by his ex-girlfriend’s partner in May. In that case, a bullet penetrated a wall and came within a foot of hitting a 1-year-old inside the home.