Infant in critical condition after Mattapan shooting

(John Tlumacki/Globe Staff)

Boston police detectives took fingerprints today on a balcony on Fairlawn Avenue where an infant was shot Monday while in her father's arms.

By Maria Cramer, Globe Staff

Five-month-old Alianna Peguero remains in critical condition today at Boston Medical Center after being shot while in her father's arms Monday night at a Mattapan apartment, and doctors have told the family the infant's liver was destroyed, a relative said.

The bullet, fired from outside the building on Fairlawn Avenue, pierced the baby's abdomen and hit the liver, said Indira Castillo, the 27-year-old former stepdaughter of Alianna's father, Alinson Peguero.

Peguero, 46, who was shot in the hand as he held his daughter, is inconsolable, said Castillo.

"He can't even talk right now," said Castillo. "The surgeons are telling us to take it one day at a time."

She said she believes the baby's shooting is connected to the fatal shooting of her half-brother, Alan Peguero, who was killed Sept. 4 at the family's convenience store in Dorchester. Police have not arrested a suspect yet, which has frustrated the family, Castillo said.

"They're useless," Castillo said.

Elaine Driscoll, spokeswoman for the Boston police, declined to comment on Castillo's remark, but said the investigations into both shootings are active. She said the family has provided little information.

"This terrible, terrible situation is a result of an ongoing gang dispute," Driscoll said. "Sadly, we're receiving limited cooperation from her family."

Police Superintendent-in-Chief Robert Dunford said Monday night that because the baby's injury was so serious, the shooting was being investigated by the department's homicide unit.

At about 8:30 p.m., someone climbed onto the balcony outside the apartment and fired multiple shots into the apartment through the glass window, police said.

The birth of Alianna in February had been helping the family deal with their grief over the shooting of Alan Peguero.

"It's only been nine months since we went through this. We still have an open wound from my brother's death," Castillo said Monday night.

Castillo said Alinson Peguero was sitting on the couch watching television when he heard shots. She said several assailants had fired from the balcony through a screen door.

She said Peguero ran from the couch with the baby in his arms and then was struck by one of the bullets.

Police blocked off access to the building last night, while investigators could be seen looking for evidence in a stairwell.

Camille Williams, 27, who lives across the parking lot from the shooting scene, was in her apartment with her sister and niece when she heard three gunshots.

"It was scary," Williams said, as she stood on her building doorstep last night while a steady rain pelted her umbrella. "The gunshots sounded so close it echoed through the parking lot."

Castillo said that her former stepfather had remarried and that the baby girl was his new wife's only child.

"She's devastated," Castillo said. "She can't even talk."

Police said they believed the suspect was driving a gray Jeep Grand Cherokee with tinted windows.

“As a father and a member of law enforcement, it is reprehensible to me that an infant child is an innocent victim of reckless gun violence and ongoing gang activity. The coward responsible for this act deserves the most severe sentence," Police Commissioner Ed Davis said today in a statement.

Police urged anyone with information to contact the homicide unit at 617-343-4470. People who wish to remain anonymous can either call the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1-800-494-TIPS (8477) or text the word ‘TIP’ to CRIME (27463).

James Vaznis of the Globe staff and Globe correspondent Sarah Gantz contributed to this report.

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