Attempted Murder Of Infant: Police Release Details

SAN LEANDRO, CA — Two people have been arrested for allegedly trying to kill an 11-month-old baby boy in San Leandro. A shot was fired just one foot away from the baby, but missed, police say.

Prosecutors allege that a man and woman from Antioch made multiple attempts to murder an 11-month-old baby boy and his mother because of what San Leandro police described as an apparent love triangle.

Prosecutors charged suspects Adanna Ibe, 27, and Marcel Brooks, 28, with one count of conspiracy to commit a crime and four counts of premeditated murder for a series of alleged attacks on the boy and his mother.

San Leandro police spokesman Lt. Isaac Benabou said the most recent attack occurred inside the McDonald's at 1287 Washington Ave. at the downtown San Leandro Plaza at about 2:30 p.m. on Monday. Benabou said the 11-month-old boy was with his mother at a booth when Ibe allegedly walked up to within one foot of them and fired a single shot at the boy but missed.

No one was injured in the shooting and Ibe then fled in a vehicle, according to Benabou.Investigators determined that Brooks is the boy's father and was supposed to meet the boy's mother at the McDonald's on Monday, Benabou said.

Brooks and Ibe are the parents of a 5-year-old child who was placed with other relatives after they were arrested at a Motel 6 in Sacramento on Tuesday morning, according to Benabou. He described Ibe as Brooks' current girlfriend.

There were about 20 to 30 people inside the McDonald's restaurant when the shooting occurred, he said.
The fact that the shot missed the boy even though it was fired at close range "is a miracle," Benabou said.

Prosecutors said in charging documents that in the last week of March Brooks "lured" the boy and his mother "to a meeting for the purpose of murdering" the boy, who is listed only as John Doe. Prosecutors also said that in late March Ibe "tried to strike and kill" the boy and his mother with her car.

Prosecutors said that on Monday Brooks lured the boy and his mother to the McDonald's in San Leandro for the purpose of murdering the boy.They said Ibe "entered the McDonald's wearing a mask, gloves and a hoodie and armed with a gun for the purpose of murdering victim John Doe." Prosecutors said Brooks, who police said was outside the restaurant, sent a text message to the boy's mother "claiming he was inside the McDonald's when he was not" but Ibe was inside the restaurant.

Brooks then called Ibe on her cell phone and told her that the boy and his mother were inside the McDonald's, prosecutors wrote.Ibe fired a semi-automatic handgun at the boy and his mother, nearly striking both of them, prosecutors said.

After the shooting, Brooks walked to a BART station to go home and never communicated with the boy's mother or checked on her or their 11-month-old son, San Leandro police Detective Michael Benz wrote in a
probable cause statement.

Benabou said he's been a police officer for many years and, "I've never before investigated a case where the intended murder victim was an infant."

He didn't disclose where the boy and his mother live, only saying that they live in the Bay Area and are now safe.

Ibe and Brooks were arraigned in Alameda County Superior Court in Hayward late this afternoon and are scheduled to return to court on April 27 to finalize their legal representation and possibly enter pleas.

-Image via SLPD; Bay City News contributed to this article