DETROIT – Detroit police say the gun malfunctioned when a man aimed it at a father holding his baby at a Detroit gas station.
The video of the incident is chilling.
Surveillance video of the man pointing a gun at the father holding a baby left people stunned.
“First of all, the baby being involved is one thing to do that with a conscious,” said said a man who watched the video for the first time. “On top of that, it’s unreal.”
That quick-thinking father seen in the video player above pushed the gun away, and the gunman took off.
Detroit police say it happened around 6 p.m. Sunday (June 19) evening at the Valero gas station at Hubble and Tireman avenues on the city’s west side.
“As even month old child, it was disturbing, especially as a father, to see that happen on Father’s Day,” said Detroit Police Department Commander Michael Chambers.
As the gunman walked up to the gas station, he reached into the waistband of his pants. As soon as he opens the door, he points the gun and tries to fire.
“Fortunately, the gun didn’t go off, it malfunctioned, and he was able to divert the gun and lock the door behind him,” Chambers said.
Police say the two men got into an argument a few blocks away. The gunman followed the man and his baby to the gas station, and the father immediately rushed to protect himself and his little baby.
That is gut instinct,” said another man watching the incident on video.
“Thank God he did what he could to block it, and the gun didn’t go off,” the man said. “To be targeted with a child, the psychology of that is just beyond.”
The father and the 7-month-old are OK, officials say.