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Baby Killed, Parents Injured In East Palo Alto Shooting

PALO ALTO (CBS SF) -- East Palo Alto police released sketches of the men suspected of killing a 3-month-old boy in a triple shooting early Sunday morning.

Two men wearing dark hooded sweatshirts fired multiple shots into the car of a Redwood City family leaving a baby shower in the 400 block of Wisteria Drive just before 1 a.m., Acting police Capt. Jeff Liu said. The parents, their 3-year-old child and 3-month-old son were in the car.

The 3-month-old suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head. The mother and father, both 22 years old, suffered serious, but not life-threatening gunshot wounds, police said.

KCBS' Chris Filippi Reports:

The family was taken to Stanford Hospital, where the infant was pronounced dead at about 2:15 a.m., Liu said.

Witnesses said they saw two men, who were specifically firing at the victims' car, running away from the scene, he said.

The sketches were rendered after a police artist met with witnesses who described the suspects as Hispanic men in their early 20s between 5 feet 9 inches and 5 feet 10 inches tall, police said.

A $25,000 reward was issued for information that leads to the arrest of the suspects.

East Palo Alto has long suffered from a reputation as a violent community, though that appeared to have changed in recent years. Statistics suggested that shootings, murders, and crime in general, was decreasing - perhaps in part because of special enforcement operations made possible because of a recent partnership between the East Palo Alto police department and federal authorities.

The weekend violence that claimed the life of the infant, however, has put East Palo Alto back in the spotlight.

KCBS' Bob Melrose Reports:

Neighbors were stunned by the news of the shooting, with one woman saying she was "mad about everything" that happened. Another resident in the area acknowledged that violence does still happen, though he was surprised by the extent and particularly tragic nature of this weekend's incident.

Anyone with details about the triple shooting is asked to call or send a text message to East Palo Alto police at (650) 409-6792. Those who wish to remain anonymous can do so by calling that number. Tips can also be sent by email to epa@tipnow.org.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services may have contributed to this report)

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