Brooklyn Baby's Tragic Death: Parents Recall Horror of Daylight Shooting
The heartbroken parents of a seven-month-old girl, shot and killed in broad daylight in New York City, have shared the devastating details of the moment their baby was taken from them. Kaori, who had just learned to say "mama," was sitting in her stroller next to her brother on Wednesday afternoon when gunshots erupted on the streets of Brooklyn.
A Mother's Nightmare Unfolds
Lianna Charles-Moore, Kaori's 20-year-old mother, told the New York Post that she initially mistook the sounds for fireworks. "But my son jumped out of the stroller, and I picked him up and carried him," she recounted. After hugging her son, she looked to her left to see her daughter lying motionless. "She was shot in the head. She was just bleeding. It was just too much," Charles-Moore said through tears.
The grieving mother emphasized that Kaori was innocent and did not deserve such a fate. "We were just going outside to go get her a few things, and my son a few things," she explained, highlighting the mundane nature of their outing that turned tragic. Kaori's brother was grazed by a bullet on his back and has been asking for his sister ever since the shooting. "My son got impacted with everything that happened, so it was just too much, because they could have killed my son and my daughter," Charles-Moore added.
Family's Heartbreak and Memories
Kaori had recently passed the milestone of saying "mama" and had begun to crawl, according to the Post. Her grandmother, Linda Moore Oyinkoinyan, a school teacher, collapsed upon hearing the news while at work. "I was supposed to get them today or tomorrow. I'm a teacher, so I have off, and I was going to take them," she said. Oyinkoinyan described receiving a frantic call from her daughter, who was screaming, "They shot Kaori in the head." The grandmother recalled passing out in her classroom, with her grandson taking her hand.
Oyinkoinyan remembered Kaori as a "beautiful spirit" who was always smiling. "She was loving. She was caring. Always smiling. She was very smart. The baby was very beautiful. She brought a lot of people together," she said, adding, "It's heartbreaking."
Details of the Shooting and Aftermath
The incident occurred near Humboldt and Moore Street in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, just before 1:25 p.m. on Wednesday. Kaori was struck by a flying bullet, and two suspects fled the scene on a moped. Photos have emerged of the suspects, with one seen sitting on the back of a scooter holding what appeared to be a gun. The moped was later found ditched a few streets away from the scene.
Kaori was rushed to Woodhull Hospital in Brooklyn but could not be saved and was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. A witness inside the hospital described the horror as the child was brought in: "The dad brought the baby in. The dad was screaming, 'Save my baby!' And the mother was screaming at the top of her lungs."
Police Investigation and Official Response
A manhunt is now underway for the two suspects. NBC New York's helicopter captured images of the street in the aftermath, with crime scene tape covering the area swarmed by officers. At a press conference for an unrelated matter, Mayor Zohran Mamdani addressed the tragedy, stating, "It is a tragedy that this baby was shot and killed." He announced he would be joined by Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch at a later press conference, expressing that his "heart breaks" for the family.
Police are offering a $3,500 reward for any information related to Kaori's murder, as the community grapples with this senseless act of violence.
