Toddler Killed in Car Seat by Random Gunfire as Mom Drives Along Freeway
A 23-month-old toddler has died after being shot while inside a car that was traveling along a California freeway, according to police.
California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers were called to reports of a shooting on Interstate 880, in Oakland, at about 2:10 p.m. on November 6.
When officers arrived they learned the white Lexus sedan had been struck by a stray bullet.
It is understood three children and three adults were in the car when the vehicle was struck by the bullet, but that the toddler was the only one to have been hit.
"I've got another call in saying there's a child bleeding from the head," CHP officers said while arriving on scene, ABC7 reported.
Following the shooting, the toddler was rushed to Oakland Children's Hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
The toddler was later identified by family members as 23-month-old Jasper Wu, according to the network.
Family members told the network little Jasper had been sleeping in his car seat during a drive home when the bullet struck him.
His mother was behind the wheel at the time of the shooting, according to ABC7.
In an earlier Facebook statement, the CHP Golden Gate Division said the victim was three years old, but confirmed the child had been taken to a hospital and died after being shot.
The Saturday post read: "A three-year-old child passenger in the Lexus sustained a gunshot wound and was rushed to Oakland Children's Hospital.
"The child later succumbed to the gunshot wound. Detectives assigned to CHP - Golden Gate Division, Special Investigations Unit responded and are actively investigating this shooting."
Detectives have requested assistance from the public and officers are gathering information about the shooting.
Anyone with any information has been asked to call the CHP Investigation Tip line at 707-917-4491.
Newsweek has contacted the CHP for comment.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, a database that collects information from shootings across the U.S., the last incident in Oakland where a child aged 11 and under received a gunshot wound was on October 4 on Interstate 580.
It also said the last incident in the city where a child in that age group succumbed to injuries sustained in a shooting happened on July 17, 2013.
The shooting happened days after two children were shot and injured at a Burger King drive-thru in North Carolina while they were waiting in a vehicle as their order was being prepared.
