A three-month-old baby has died after his father used him as a human shield during a shootout with police in Mississippi.
A three-month-old baby has died in Mississippi after his father used him as a shield
La’Mello Parker died alongside his father, Eric Derell Smith, who had kidnapped him after fleeing the scene of another family murder.
Louisiana police responded to a 911 call during a domestic dispute Monday.
Arriving near Baker, they found the body of Christin Parker, 32, and her nephew Brandon Parker, 26, both shot to death.
Christin’s young daughter told police she had fled the house after hearing the gunshots, and ran to the neighbor’s house to help.
Missing from the scene was Christin’s ex-boyfriend Smith, from whom she had recently become estranged, and her infant.
Shortly before 3 p.m. the suspect’s car was spotted on Interstate 10 eastbound; Witnesses reported that he was driving with a gun in one hand, and the infant in the other.
Witness video showed dozens of police cars lined up behind the car, with more moving forward and blocking all eastbound exits on the freeway.
The chase continued into Mississippi at government lines until police finally used spike strips to destroy the tires.
Smith continued to drive at 10 miles per hour, and witnesses said he was carrying the baby on his chest while gripping the steering wheel and his gun in his other hand.
At least 20 shots were fired. Smith died at the scene and the baby was also hit once.
U.S. Marshals took the baby to a nearby hospital; he was then transferred to a children’s hospital in Alabama.
But a few hours later, at 1:30 a.m.
Tuesday, he died.
Court records show Smith’s only criminal past was a 2017 arrest on charges of punching his boss
