The 7-year-old girl critically injured in a Port Hueneme shooting that also wounded her pregnant mother was identified by police on Monday.
Kaylanaa Davis suffered life-threatening injuries and was left in a coma after shots were fired at her family’s home in the 100 block of East Pearl Street on the evening of July 2, authorities said. Her mother, Maryam Davis, was shot twice.
Police are still searching for suspects and have asked for the public’s help solving the incident, which is believed to have been a drive-by shooting. Investigators believe two guns were involved so there’s likely more than one suspect.
“You’re shooting at a house — don’t know who’s in the house — and you hit a baby,” said Kaylanaa’s godfather, Willie Chester Jr., as loved ones gathered for a vigil outside Evangelistic Missionary Baptist Church a day after the shooting.
There was a delayed emergency response to the incident, which led to Kaylanaa’s father having to physically pick her up and carry her to a fire station, Port Hueneme Police Chief Andrew Salinas said. Video of the fire station was recorded by a neighbor who heard her father screaming.
“Unfortunately, the fire department was unresponsive and did not come out,” Salinas said, adding they may have felt threatened or thought there was gunfire outside.
Officers responded to the station once Kaylanaa’s mother called police and drove the child to Ventura County Medical Center in a police unit, Salinas said. She was later taken to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, where she was listed in critical condition.
Maryam Davis was described by police as being in stable condition at the Medical Center.
Authorities have said a total of five people were inside the home at the time of the shooting, including three children and their parents.
They believe someone inside the home was the intended target and the violence was not random or gang-related but the result of some personal dispute.
The Ventura County Fire Department released a statement acknowledging the delayed response that led to Kaylanaa being treated later.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic shooting that occurred overnight in Port Hueneme near our fire station,” the statement reads. “We are investigating the circumstances surrounding the emergency response and medical services rendered to the mother and daughter following the shooting.”
But Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen has said firefighters did respond “timely, appropriately” — a conclusion he said was reached after officials interviewed firefighters and he reviewed surveillance video.
Police have also said the emergency response may have been delayed since fireworks were going off that could have been mistaken for gunshots.
Investigators are working through multiple leads but police have said any new bit of information helps.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Sergeant Frank Torpey at 805-986-6615. Anonymous tipsters can reach Ventura County Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or http://www.venturacountycrimestoppers.org.