An errant shot fired from the street struck and killed a four year old boy as he played with a stuffed animal in the front yard of his grandmother's house, according to law enforcement and the young victim's family.
The shooting was reported around 8:30 p.m. in the 7200 block of McKinley Avenue in Highland. Teddy bears, flowers and other items were left at the site in memory of the young victim, identified as Daniel Munoz.
Deputies confirmed the boy was with cousins and an aunts in a front yard when he was fatally wounded. The aunt, who was just a few feet away from the boy at the time of the shooting, carried him to a nearby house for help.
It was unclear if the incident was gang related.
"Children are innocent," said Adam Cervantes, of the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. "It sets in us a certain sense of urgency to find out who did this, who's responsible and bring them to justice."
Authorities are searching for a white Toyota Camry, possibly a 1990s model, with black bumpers in connection with the shooting. Investigators are attempting to determine whether occupants of the vehicle were the intended targets of the shooting.
Authorities released a security camera image of a man who might have been a passenger in the gunman's vehicle.
"We're trying to identify him and get him in for questioning," said Cervantes.
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"I should have brought my baby with me," said the boy's mother, Yuliana Morales, as she stood in the yard of her mother in law's home. She said she had taken Daniel's three older siblings on an outing to Knott's Berry Farm, but for lack of room in the car, left Daniel with his grandmother.
NBC4's Kevin LaBeach contributed to this report.
