3-month-old baby died from gunshot wound after shootout on interstate
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BILOXI, Mississipi (WALA) — A 3-month-old child injured during a police chase and shootout in south Mississippi on Monday has died, according to the coroner in Harrison County.
Brian Switzer, from Harrison County Coroner, says the 3 month old baby died from a single gunshot wound.
He will turn over his findings to the Biloxi Police Department and Harrison DA’s Office to determine where the bullet came from.
The baby suffered injuries as his father, Eric Derell Smith, died of multiple gunshot wounds following a vehicle pursuit with authorities.
Smith was wanted in two killings in Louisiana.
Law enforcement officials from Gulfport and Harrison County and also state troopers with the Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol took part in the pursuit that led to the deadly shootout.
The baby was inside his father’s automobile at the time.
Switzer said the baby died at about 1:30 a.m. today at USA Children’s and Women’s Hospital in Mobile.
The cause of death has not been determined and is pending the results of an autopsy, Switzer told FOX10 News. The child will be taken to Biloxi for that autopsy, he said.
Switzer said the baby would have been four months old later this month.
Biloxi Police Chief John Miller told the Sun Herald that authorities are trying to determine whether Smith shot himself or was shot by police during the chase on Interstate 10.
Smith, 30, was a suspect in two killings near Baker, La., early Monday. WBRZ-TV reported that the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office said Smith entered the home and fatally shot his ex-girlfriend and her nephew. They were identified as Christin Parker, 32, and Brandon Parker, 26.
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