'She Was Just 2 Years Old': Family Of Toddler Killed By Gunman Pleads For Anyone With Information To Come Forward
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It was a somber night in Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood as people gathered to mourn the death of a little girl who was killed by gunfire. Her family is now pleading for anyone with information to do the right thing.
What is most upsetting is that Nikolette Rivera was murdered in a place that was supposed to be safe — her own home.
"It is no longer a problem we can solve from watching out the window. It's right now," one neighbor said.
Dozens of people gathered to mourn a young life that was stolen Sunday afternoon. A 2-year-old girl was murdered in her mother's arms after police say a gunman targeted their home.
"The children, these kids that are innocent and they're dropping like flies, and it's not good," Amelia Pagan, Nikolette's great aunt, says.
She tells Eyewitness News she only knew her great-niece for a short time but she was full of life.
But that toddler's life was taken on the 3300 block of Walter Street after a man carrying an AK-47 opened fire.
Nikolette was shot once in the back of the head. Her 24-year-old mother was shot in the right side of her head and once in the back. She is in stable condition.
A 33-year-old man doing renovation work inside the home was also shot once in the stomach and remains in critical condition.
Nikolette and her mother's family now plead with the shooter.
"Turn yourself in. You didn't kill a dog, you didn't kill an animal, you killed a human being and she was only 2 years old," Alex Montanez says.
As police continue to search for clues, the family is hoping someone with information comes forward to bring those mourning some closure.
"The more information they have to work with, the better they can do their job. If you have people saying they're not going to talk, then how do you expect them to solve crimes in our neighborhoods?" Pagan said.
There is a $30,000 reward being offered for information leading to the arrest of the shooter.
