SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — A man who opened fire on a house, killing a 3-year- old girl and gravely wounding a pregnant woman and her toddler, was probably seeking revenge against a good Samaritan who had thwarted an earlier assault, police said.
Piecing together witness accounts, police believe that a man living at the house saw the gunman assaulting another woman Monday and got involved, allowing the unidentified woman to escape, said San Bernardino police Lt. Gwendolyn Waters.
The suspect apparently went to the man’s home Monday evening and started shooting, she said.
“We believe it was revenge,” Waters said. “This is somebody that was trying to do a good deed.”
Police are searching for the gunman, who they believe ran away, and want to speak to the woman who was assaulted and at least two other witnesses to the assault.
The gunfire struck 3-year- old Nylah Franco-Torrez in the head. She was pronounced dead at a hospital.
The pregnant woman and her 3-year-old daughter remained hospitalized Tuesday, authorities said. The woman was upgraded to stable, but her child was in extremely critical condition.
