A 23-year-old man faces three attempted murder charges after authorities say he fired several rounds into a vehicle, with one of the bullets striking a 10-month old. The reason for the gunfire? A woman declined his advances.
Marcos Echartea attended a party in Fresno, Calif., Sunday (June 23) where 18-year-old Deziree Menagh and her daughter, Fayth Percy also attended. Echartea tried to grab Menagh’s hand but she pulled away.
Later on, Echartea tried to pull Menagh onto his lap and she refused him again. The teen told a friend about Echartea’s behavior before going back inside the home to get baby Fayth.
CNN reports Menagh carried her daughter and placed her inside a friend’s vehicle. They drove about half a block away when the driver made a U-turn. It was then that Echartea could be seen approaching the vehicle and as he neared, he pulled out a handgun firing off three rounds and striking Faythe in the head.
Police received a 911 call at 4 AM in which the driver said he was taking the baby to a nearby hospital. The dispatcher said there were cops nearby who helped until paramedics arrived. Faythe was taken to a hospital to have bullet fragments removed from her head. Her condition is described as critical.
Along with three attempted murder charges, Echartea faces a host of other felonies including assault with a firearm, assault with a semiautomatic firearm, discharging a firearm at an occupied dwelling, discharging a firearm in a negligent manner, endangering and causing injury to a child and conspiracy to commit assault with a firearm.
This isn’t the first time Echartea has had a run-in with the law. Last month, the 23-year-old was accused of firing off rounds at his ex-girlfriend’s boyfriend’s home. One of the bullets struck the wall about a foot away from the child.
“[It’s] very apparent that Marcos Echartea has no regard for human life, even a baby,” Police Chief Jerry Dyer said. “We have every reason to believe that Marcos Echartea knew that that baby, Fayth, was in that vehicle when he fired three rounds into that vehicle.”
