DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) -- Police are asking for the public's help in finding a suspect in a shooting on Friday in southwest Dayton, Ohio, that killed a 5-year-old girl.
Dayton Police said during a media briefing Monday that the search for a suspect is underway but that they are being careful with the information they share so as not to interfere with the investigation.
According to Dayton Police, officers responded to a reported shooting around 9:30 p.m. Friday.
When they arrived, they found a 27-year-old father and his 5-year-old daughter with gunshot wounds. They had been in a vehicle when it was hit by multiple rounds. The girl was in her car seat.
Both were taken to the hospital for treatment, but the girl later died from her wounds. Her father's wound was not life-threatening.
Police hope the vehicle the victims were in, which was towed away Friday night, can reveal more details about the shooting.
Lt. Eric Sheldon, commander of DPD’s Violent Crimes Bureau, said multiple crews are processing the scene for evidence to determine where the vehicle was struck.
"This incident is obviously extremely tragic," Sheldon said. "It's tragic for the family. It's tragic for the officers to have to respond to this and render first aid to this 5-year-old, and it's just tragic to the community, those that live and work in this community, that they have to put up with this kind of violence."
There is currently no information on a potential suspect or suspects.
"We ask that anyone in the community that has any sort of information, however big or small, come forward with that information,” said Sheldon. “What we don't want to see, and so often happens is that, they hold that information. They use it on their own to get their own sort of street justice.”
The community held a balloon-release vigil for the 5-year-old Sunday night.
Second youth killed in neighborhood in less than a month
Dayton's Highview Hills neighborhood has now seen its second deadly shooting involving a minor in a month.
Hillary Farr, 17, died after being shot on the night of Sept. 14.
"We're obviously looking at that as, you know, whether it's related at this time,” said Sheldon. “That would be, again, part of the homicide investigation.
"Any sort of pattern of violence or additional homicides in a neighborhood, we'll look at that and we'll look at what kind of patrol measures we can put in place to, you know, whether we need, you know, different strategies to try to combat that.”
Dayton Mayor Jeffrey Mims Jr. said he's in contact with police, and enough is enough.
"I have talked and we're working on everything we can do to find individuals who are doing this that can work,” said the mayor.
Mims says two in the last month is "too many."
"I cannot emphasize it too much,” said Mims. “It's one of the reasons why we are working on the things that we're working on now.”
The Dayton Police Department's Homicide Unit is investigating and asking that anyone in the community with knowledge connected to the shooting to call 937-333-1232. People wanting to remain anonymous can reach out to Crime Stoppers at 937-222-STOP (7867). Tips can also be submitted at miamivalleycrimestoppers.com.