Advertisement 3-year-old shot, killed in Stockon while riding in car Police: Cowards with guns committed this crime Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A 3-year-old girl was shot and killed while riding in a car with her family, Stockton police said."(It was a) senseless act of violence committed by cowards with guns," Stockton police spokesman Joe Silva said. "Anytime there is a loss of life, it's a tragedy. But, when it involves a 3-year-old little girl, that hits the whole community really hard."The family was driving about 8:26 p.m. Sunday in the 1100 block of South Commerce Street when gunshots were fired from a dark sedan that began following their vehicle, officers said. The shooter's vehicle was either a black Monte Carlo or a Camaro, with tinted windows, police said.The girl, identified as Melanie Martinez of Stockton, was the only person in the vehicle who was hit by the shots, and her family drove her straight to a nearby hospital, according to police. She was pronounced dead at the hospital."Once I heard it was a 3-year-old little girl, I was furious. I was just furious and devastated," neighbor Cynthia Flores said. "It could have been my daughter. It could have been anybody here. It could have been anybody in any of these houses living there. All you're doing is living your life (and) all of a sudden you got a gunshot through the head."Investigators focused their search for evidence Monday morning along Commerce Street, between West Jackson and West Jefferson."This is where they believe the shooting happened," Silva said. "(We're) still searching and processing the area for evidence. The preliminary investigation is indicating the victim vehicle did not appear to be the intended target. They were just driving by and got caught in the middle of gunfire."Officers do not believe the vehicle was in the intended target of the gunshots.They have no suspect descriptions at this time."Our detectives are going to work around the clock until they can figure out who did this to this 3-year-old little girl," Silva said. "They're going to be relentless in their investigations because we owe that to that family."Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to call the Stockton Police Department at 209-937-8377.________KCRA 3's Melinda Meza contributed to this story.