NEW YORK — Police continue to search for a suspected gunman accused of targeting and killing a young mother as she pushed her daughter in a stroller on the Upper East Side.
Police confirm the woman’s death was not random. They believe it stemmed from a domestic incident, but the motive remained unclear, CBS2’s John Dias reported Thursday.
Police are looking to speak with the child’s father, a 22-year-old man with a criminal history. According to police sources, the couple had a tumultuous relationship.
It’s not a sight anyone wants to see: Caution tape strung next to a playground. Like the bullets still lodged in an SUV, the deadly shooting remains in the minds of those who live and work in the neighborhood.
“It’s shocking. It’s taken me by surprise,” Stephen O’Connor said.
“I think it’s so sad for the family. I have no words to explain to you,” another man said.
According to detectives, the 20-year-old woman was pushing her 3-month-old daughter in a stroller by East 95th Street near Lexington Avenue at around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, when a man shot and killed her.
“When and unknown person approached her and fired a single shot into her head from a very close range,” NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said.
According to sources, the child was unharmed and being evaluated at the hospital.
“The whole community is disgusted,” Elizabeth Eilender said. “People tell me, back in the 70s it was much worse than it is today. I don’t know if that’s really a great selling point to tell you the truth.”
Eilender said she’s reconsidering if she wants to live in America given crime in the city and recent Supreme Court decisions dealing with gun laws and abortion rights.
“I literally renewed my passport last week,” Eilender said.
The brazen killing of a young mother is stirring up anger from city leaders, including Mayor Eric Adams, who spoke about getting guns off the streets.
“This shows just how this national problem is impacting families. It doesn’t matter if you are on the Upper East Side or East New York,” Adams said.
Police said they’re using video cameras to retrace the victim’s movements to find out where she went and who she saw before her death.
