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3-Year-Old Killed In NorCal Hit & Run After Women Fight

STOCKTON (CBS SF) - A 3-year-old child was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver in front of a market in Stockton on Monday afternoon.

The child was standing in front of the Madison Market at the corner of N. Madison and Flora and apparently was the innocent victim of two women's altercation. One aimed her car at the other woman and hit the toddler instead, pinning the child against the wall of the market before driving off.

Police are working on a description of the suspect and are treating the incident as a homicide investigation. The young child was not associated with either woman in the altercation.

"Just thinking about it gets you so emotional," Mele Vaipae, who lives in the area. "I just feel really bad for the family."

People who didn't even know the young child came to the scene to pay respects, and one person put a teddy bear down near where the child was killed.

"It's an absolute tragedy," said Stockton Police Officer Pete Smith.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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