1-year-old injured after ‘drive-by’ shooting in Mesquite; suspect at large, police say

A toddler was hospitalized New Year’s Eve following what authorities are describing as a drive-by shooting in Mesquite, police said.

Shortly after 7 p.m. Sunday, officers were dispatched to a shooting call in the 1600 block of Springwood Drive, just south of the intersection of Faithon P. Lucas Sr. Boulevard and Berry Road, in Mesquite, according to police.

Around the same time, a different person in the area also reported a shooting, said Brandon Ricketts, a Mesquite police spokesman.

Responding officers found a 1-year-old child with a “minor wound” to the head and also found a man who had a “minor cut” on his neck, police said, adding that investigators believe the shooting was a drive-by.

The toddler and the man, whom Ricketts said is the child’s father, were inside a home when they were injured.

Ricketts described the nature of the injuries as “grazing.” The toddler was taken to a hospital following the shooting. No injuries were believed to be life threatening, according to police.

Officers also found a man in the area who reported that he was inside his vehicle when he realized it had been shot. Investigators do not believe the man was struck by gunfire.

Authorities obtained surveillance camera footage from the area that showed a “vehicle driving down the street,” when someone got out of the vehicle and started shooting, police said.

Investigators found nine total shell casing from the area, Ricketts said. The exact target and motive of the shooting were unclear as of Tuesday.