By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

THE two-year-old girl who was injured in Thursday’s mass shooting underwent surgery to remove a bullet from her head, according to a relative.

Family members wanted to have her airlifted to the United States.

Shortly before the shooting, two-year-old D’Lani Smith was picked up by her father 34-year-old Delano Smith, an aunt said on Friday. She says the two were probably heading to get ice cream.

Unfortunately, that day would be the last time his daughter would spend time with her dad as he was killed with five others in a shooting at the intersection of Jerome Avenue and Chesapeake Road.

As the six men pulled up to the intersection in a silver coloured Honda Inspire shortly before 5pm Thursday, a white KIA SUV trailed behind them. Four men in black then emerged from the SUV, two with high powered weapons, and shot at the men in the Honda. Police suspect it was a gang related attack.

The child and a 19-year-old woman were also injured.

The toddler is aware that her father is gone.

According to the aunt: “The first thing she said to my sister when my sister walked into the hospital room (was), ‘my daddy dead.’”

Police said that the child and the woman are both in critical, but stable condition in hospital after the shooting. The aunt confirmed to The Tribune that surgery was done on her niece to remove a bullet.

“The bullet went to the back of her head,” she said. “The bullet stopped right into her skull. It didn’t penetrate any further.

“She’s quite fine. She’s awake.”

However, the aunt said the family wanted to airlift the little girl as she mentioned they were facing a problem that is “frustrating”.

“We didn’t know they took her to PMH (Princess Margaret Hospital), but when we got to PMH we called Doctors Hospital to remove her from PMH to carry her to Doctors Hospital and they told us they don’t have a facility to operate a bullet wound on a two-year-old. I don’t understand what you paying insurance for if they cannot help your child...that’s the most frustrating thing about this,” the aunt explained over the phone.

“My niece right now is laying (in) a hallway in PMH. They don’t even have a bed for (her). That is the most frustrating thing. You have the money to do, but you can’t do it.

“We wanted to airlift her out last night (Thursday) but they said they could do it – not to do it. Now, we have to suffer with her laying in the hallway of the hospital. She don’t even have a bed. She (is) on a gurney.”

The 19-year-old woman who was injured in that incident was Mr Smith’s girlfriend, the aunt said.

The six men who were shot dead on Thursday were released from police custody shortly before they were ambushed, police said. According to initial information from police, the men were in one car while the woman and child were in another.

The child’s aunt questioned this.

“When he came here…..it was him and the girlfriend in the car. I don't know about anybody else being in the vehicle,” she said.

Assistant Commissioner Solomon Cash previously reported two victims were found on the outside of the silver Honda Inspire while four others were inside the car.

After the incident, many questions remain about who targeted the men.

“They just got released. The first stop he made was here to this house…..to pick up my niece. He didn’t even have my niece for 10-15 minutes,” the aunt said.

“He literally just picked her up and they probably was going to McDonald's. He normally would carry her to McDonald’s in Palmdale to get ice cream and that seems to be the direction they were heading.

“I know they were heading to Palmdale McDonald’s.”

Anyone with information on this incident is asked to call police at 502-9929, 502-9935, 502-9942, or 502-9952.