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Child killed in US road rage shooting

October 22, 2015

A four-year-old girl has been fatally shot in New Mexico by a motorist after being picked up from school, in an apparent road rage incident. The suspect has been arrested and his motive remains unclear.

https://p.dw.com/p/1GsTn
FBI special Agent in Charge and Albuquerque Police Department Chief address the media about the shooting
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/R. E. Rosales

The attack occurred along the Interstate 40 highway in Albuquerque, the capital of the southwestern US state of New Mexico.

The child, Lilly Garcia, died on Tuesday after being rushed to the hospital.

Tony Torres, 32, was arrested by New Mexico police on Wednesday and has confessed to the shooting. He faces charges of murder, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, and assault with the intent to commit a violent felony, police said.

The murder has left the family devastated. "She was so proud to tell people she just turned four," her father said. "She is my world."

According to the news agency Agence France-Presse, the father had picked up his daughter and his seven-year old son from school in his truck. The Associated Press reported that the mother was in the car as well. They headed onto the highway where the shooting occurred.

After hearing shots and seeing his daughter bleeding, the father "pulled to the edge of the road and tried to administer first aid," NBC News reported.

In a statement, the mayor of Albuquerque said: "the Garcia family is in the thoughts and prayers of our community and our nation."

What enraged the shooter - and whether he had any prior connection to the family - is not yet known.

jtm/rc (AFP, AP)