Manhunt underway after 7-month-old baby was shot dead in stroller in New York City

The New York Police Department has commenced a 'massive manhunt' after a seven-month-old baby was killed by a gunshot in Brooklyn.

The tragic incident occurred in Brooklyn, and mayor Zohran Mamdani has since spoken out.

A manhunt is underway in New York

The baby was fatally struck by a stray bullet during gunfire on a busy street in New York City on Wednesday (April 1).

Police are appealing for members of the public to come forward with any information relating to the shooting, which took place at the intersection of Moore Street and Humboldt in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg area.

The child, named as Kaori Patterson-Moore, was hit during the exchange as one of the perpetrators fired off several shots from a moped.

The baby was declared dead at the scene.

NYPD commissioner Jessica Tisch and Mayor Zohran Mamdani spoke out

NYPD commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed in an interview that the shooting is believed to have been gang-related.

At a news conference, Mayor of New York Zohran Mamdani said: "There are no words that can mend the heartbreak this family is feeling now, no declaration strong enough to lift the grief they are now forced to carry, no embrace wide enough to heal the hole that has been left their lives.”

He went on to add that New Yorkers must not ‘grow numb to this pain’ of gun violence and normalize it.

Tisch said that one unidentified man that ‘fits the description of our shooter’ is currently in police custody as part of an unrelated investigation, but the moped driver is still on the streets and a ‘massive NYPD manhunt’ is underway to capture him.

That search, she confirmed, involves both officers and bloodhounds.

"This is a terrible day in our city, a tragedy that truly shocks the conscience," Tisch said.

The devastated mother explained how it happened

The young girl’s mother Lianna Charles-Moore, told the New York Post that she was pushing her daughter in a stroller when the gunshot hit.

The 20-year-old reported hearing a loud bang, thinking it was a firework before realizing the horrific truth.

She said: "My daughter was innocent. She didn’t deserve that. We were just going outside to go get her a few things, and my son a few things.”

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).

The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, on X @NYPDTips.