3-year-old Lovely Toney was struck by a stray bullet fired by homicide suspect Gary Jones, who shot at Suffolk County, New York, police detectives as the closed in on him to put him under arrest. The girl is expected to make a full recovery. Jones barricaded himself in a home and was later found dead (CBS News New York)
A 3-year-old girl named Lovely Toney and her family had just finished eating dinner at their Long Island, New York, home when, unbeknownst to them, a murder suspect next door began shooting at cops as detectives closed in on him.
Three of the bullets entered the home, one of which hit the toddler in the abdomen as she sat on the couch, said Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney K. Harrison. The girl's father rushed her outside to officers on scene, who began life-saving measures and safely got her to the hospital.
"If not for the quick actions of [the officers] this incident could have finished with a horrific tragedy," Harrison said at a press conference Wednesday.
The incident began around 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday when Suffolk County Police homicide detectives went to a home to interview a friend of 38-year-old Gary Jones, who was a suspect in a June homicide. Harrison said after interviewing the friend outside the home for about 10 minutes, detectives learned Jones was inside. Detectives cleared the home of the occupants and began to go inside.
"As detectives tactically entered the location Mr. Jones was observed by one of the detectives raising his hand and holding a firearm," Harrison said. "Jones immediately started firing multiple shots at our detectives."
Neither of the detectives were struck by the gunfire. They did not fire their weapons.
Lovely's father, James Toney, told New York CBS affiliate WCBS-TV he initially thought the gunshots were fireworks.
"I turned around, and I see my daughter bleeding," he told the TV station. "… I didn't know how to react. I've never been through it before. My daughter was even shocked, she just stood there, she didn't even cry. I just learned that it went through her hand… In and out her stomach."
Toney said his daughter underwent surgery and will make a full recovery.
After the shooting, Jones barricaded himself inside the home. Police eventually sent a robot inside the home and found Jones dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Harrison said.
Jones was a suspect in the slaying of Shayna Staton, who was found dead from multiple gunshot wounds on June 19, on Long Island. Detectives identified Jones, Staton's boyfriend, as a suspect, Harrison said. The gun that Jones used on himself was the same weapon used in Stanton's slaying, according to Harrison.
