A New York man was arrested and charged with murder after allegedly shooting his 3-week-old infant daughter with a crossbow Monday morning, according to the Broome County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded to a home in Colesville at around 5:14 a.m. following reports that an infant and a woman had been shot with a crossbow.
According to a preliminary investigation, Patrick D. Proefriedt, 26, had allegedly gotten into an argument with his wife and fired a bolt at her while she was holding their 3-week-old daughter, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.
The broadhead bolt hit the baby in the upper torso and exited near her armpit before hitting her mother in the chest.
“Proefriedt allegedly removed the bolt and attempted to stop the woman from calling 911, then fled the scene in a red 2016 Dodge Ram pickup truck before responding deputies arrived,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Deputies and paramedics attempted to save the infant, identified by law enforcement as Eleanor M. Carey, but she was pronounced dead on the scene. Her mother was taken to a local hospital for treatment. There was no update on her condition Tuesday.
“This is one of the most heartbreaking and senseless crimes committed in this community in recent memory,” Broome County Sheriff Fred Akshar said. “Our thoughts are with the family of this innocent 3-week-old girl, Eleanor Carey.”
Proefriedt was found in the woods less than a mile away from the home, authorities said. His car had gotten stuck in mud.
He was taken into custody and charged with murder in the second degree, attempted murder in the second degree and criminal contempt in the first degree for violating an order of protection, according to the Broome County Sheriff’s Office.
“Proefriedt had a history of domestic incidents with the victim and an active Stay Away Order of Protection in place,” the sheriff’s office said.
It wasn’t immediately clear Tuesday if Proefriedt has an attorney.
CORRECTION (June 27, 3:02 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misstated the age of the infant who was killed. She was 3 weeks old, not 3 months.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
