Dad among pair arrested for allegedly trying to kill his infant boy

Two people who attempt to shoot and kill a baby boy inside a McDonald’s restaurant in San Leandro were arrested.

Two people who attempt to shoot and kill a baby boy inside a McDonald’s restaurant in San Leandro were arrested. Photo: Kale Williams Photo: Kale Williams Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close Dad among pair arrested for allegedly trying to kill his infant boy 1 / 4 Back to Gallery

A man and a woman were arrested after an unsuccessful attempt to shoot and kill an 11-month-old baby boy — the man’s son from another relationship — in a McDonald’s restaurant in downtown San Leandro, police said Thursday.

The baby was with his mother when the failed attack occurred about 2:30 p.m. Monday inside the restaurant in San Leandro Plaza, said police Lt. Isaac Benabou.

According to court documents, Marcel Brooks, 29, allegedly “baited” the mother into meeting him at the fast-food restaurant while his girlfriend, Adanna Ibe, 27, “sat in a corner with a handgun in her purse” while dressed in a mask, hoodie and gloves.

Ibe approached the mother and child, aimed the gun at the baby and pulled the trigger, missing the boy and piercing one of the shop’s front windows, Benabou said at a news conference.

“She fired from 1 foot away,” he said. “In my opinion, it was a miracle that she missed.”

Brooks and Ibe, both of whom are Antioch residents, were arrested the morning after the shooting at a Sacramento motel, authorities said. They were charged with counts of attempted murder and conspiracy and made their first court appearance Thursday in front of an Alameda County Superior Court judge in Hayward.

Benabou said Brooks and Ibe planned the shooting together and had an undisclosed motive stemming “from a history between the male subject and the female victim and her child.”

Members of Brooks’ family, who gathered outside the courtroom Thursday, said Brooks would never hurt his son. Though police described Ibe as Brooks’ girlfriend, his family said the two had broken up years ago after dating for about a year.

Family members said Brooks had nothing to do with what happened at the restaurant. Ibe had long been unstable, they said, repeatedly getting evicted from homes and fired from jobs. She is now homeless, they said.

“Jealousy has always been a problem for her,” said Ebone Danielle, who said she was Brooks’ current girlfriend. “She’s come to my house, yelling and screaming. She’s gotten in my (3-year-old) daughter’s face before. She’s an evil person.”

According to court documents, Brooks denied any involvement in the crime but implicated Ibe. Meanwhile, Ibe allegedly confessed, but said it was Brooks’ idea.

There were about 20 to 30 other patrons in the restaurant, Benabou said, when Ibe fired the shot and then fled.

A witness who was inside the McDonald’s, who declined to be identified, said the shooter had a black bandanna wrapped around her face and was trembling moments before she got up from a seat and aimed the gun at the baby.

Investigators originally believed the mother was the intended victim, but Ibe confessed that she had been targeting the baby, according to court documents. Monday’s shooting “may not have been the first attempt to harm the child,” Benabou said.

“At the time the incident occurred, we weren’t thinking the child was the victim,” he said. “A lot of us involved in this case have been in police work for many years, and I can tell you I have never been part of a case where the intended murder victim was an infant. It’s very disturbing.”

Nina Clark, Brooks’ aunt, said the situation was “a nightmare.” She said her nephew, a UPS driver, had no criminal record and had done what he could for his four children.

When Clark visited him in jail, “He was more worried about his son than anything,” she said.

“He loves his kids,” Clark said. “We all brag on Marcel. He’s so young but taking care and loving and spending time with his kids, and going to work. ... We know this is not him.”

Vivian Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: vho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @VivianHo