ANTIOCH, Calif. (TNND) — An 11-year-old girl from California is fighting for her life after police said a stranger shot her in the head while she was riding in her father’s car.
The Antioch Police Department identified the suspect as 23-year-old Ryan Hardy.
Ryan Hardy (Photo: Antioch Police Department)
The child’s father told The Daily Mailhis daughter asked him a heartbreaking question as doctors continue to treat her at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland.
“She says, ‘Dad, why can’t I see?’ It hurts me so much. Those are words I don’t think any dad could handle,” he said in Spanish,” per the media outlet.”
“My family is everything to me,” he added. “I feel like my heart is being ripped out.”
The child, who has not been identified, is in the Intensive Care Unit, “where doctors are doing everything they can to help her recover and regain as much quality of life as possible,” according to a GoFundMe account that was set up for the family. Loved ones said while she can hear and move parts of her body, “she has lost 100% of her vision.”
The GoFundMe noted that her “road ahead is uncertain and will require extensive medical care, therapy, and long-term emotional healing,” adding that her family has been traumatized and decided to relocated following the shooting.
“Because the shooter has not been taken into custody, the family lives in constant fear of retaliation and no longer feels safe returning to their home (Antioch),” according to the GoFundMe. “For their safety and for the well-being of all their children, they must leave everything behind.”
In a news release, Chief of Police Joe Vigil said the girl was shot in the parking lot of her family’s apartment complex on January 5 shortly after 12:30 p.m. He said the father drove to a nearby shopping center parking lot, where first responders “immediately rendered first aid” before she was taken to the hospital.
Vigil said the girl was listed in stable condition. He added that a preliminary investigation revealed that the child and her father do not appear to be the intended targets.
Lt. Bill Whitaker of the Antioch Police Department told The Daily Mail “the father briefly made eye contact with the shooter but did not recognize him.”
Vigil said Hardy remains on the loose. He said the suspect should be considered armed and dangerous.
“Anyone who sees Hardy in public or has information regarding his whereabouts is urged to call 911 immediately,” Vigil said. “Hardy is also encouraged to peacefully surrender to the Antioch Police Department.”
Vigil also said detectives identified several people who helped Hardy evade police. He said those individuals, as well as anyone who continues to help Hardy, will face possible charges.
BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT
Vigila said the investigation remains ongoing. Anyone who has information about the case was urged to encouraged to contact Antioch Police Detective John Cox at 925-481-8147 or jcox@antiochca.gov.
National Headline
