Inset: Ryan Hardy (Antioch Police Department). Background: The apartment on the 3900 block of Delta Fair Boulevard in Antioch, Calif. (KTVU/YouTube).
A California man is believed to have shot an 11-year-old girl in the head as she sat in her father's SUV because he thought his "intended target" was inside.
Ryan Hardy, 23, turned himself in to authorities this week, the Antioch Police Department announced.
The defendant has been charged with five counts of attempted murder and assault with a firearm, according to the East Bay Times.
On Jan. 5, a father, daughter, and three other people were sitting inside of their vehicle in an apartment complex located on the 3900 block of Delta Fair Boulevard in Antioch, "exiting the parking lot," police said. Suddenly, a bullet flew through the vehicle's passenger side window and struck the 11-year-old girl in the head.
Multiple people called 911. Officers and first responders were able to meet the family at a nearby shopping center and work to save her life. She was brought to an area hospital, where she was listed in stable condition.
Police believe the family was not the intended target and later announced they had identified a suspect through witness accounts, video surveillance, and forensic evidence: Hardy. However, they did not know his whereabouts, noting that "detectives identified several individuals who assisted Hardy in evading law enforcement."
Then, law enforcement urged the suspect to surrender. On Monday, he did.
A GoFundMe posted for the girl and her family says their lives were "forever changed by a senseless act of violence."
"Our 11-year-old relative was shot in the head inside her apartment complex," the fundraiser posted on Jan. 7 reads. "She is currently in the ICU, where doctors are doing everything they can to help her recover and regain as much quality of life as possible. At this time, she is able to hear loved ones and respond by moving parts of her body when spoken to, but she has lost 100% of her vision."
"Her road ahead is uncertain and will require extensive medical care, therapy, and long-term emotional healing. The trauma does not stop with her alone," it added, mentioning that, before the suspect was arrested, "the family lives in constant fear of retaliation and no longer feels safe returning to their home."
The father recounted the harrowing moments that his daughter was being treated at the hospital.
"She says, 'Dad, why can't I see?'" the father recounted in Spanish to The Daily Mail. "It hurts me so much. Those are words I don't think any dad could handle."
"My family is everything to me," he added. "I feel like my heart is being ripped out."
A lieutenant with the Antioch Police Department reportedly told the outlet that he briefly made eye contact with the shooter and did not recognize him.
Now, community members are grappling with the aftermath of a harrowing scene.
"She's always out playing on her bike … throughout the day, you see their family there," neighbor Donna Ford told regional Fox affiliate KTVU. "Now you see no one there. It's kind of scary."
Antioch is located in the East Bay region of California, about 45 miles east of San Francisco.
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