7-Year-Old Taylor Hayes Dies Two Weeks After Shooting: Police

BALTIMORE, MD — The 7-year-old girl shot while sitting in the back of a car in Baltimore near Edmondson Avenue earlier this month has died, police reported Thursday morning.

Taylor Hayes, 7, passed away Thursday, July 19, according to Baltimore Police Chief of Media Relations T.J. Smith.

"We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Taylor. She fought very hard," Smith said. "Her family is in our thoughts and prayers."

Hayes had been hospitalized for two weeks at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center.

Police have asked for tips to help locate those involved in the shooting.

• After Shooting, 7-Year-Old Girl Still Critical; Police Seek Tips
• GoFundMe Page Set Up For 7-Year-Old Gunshot Victim

Hayes was in the backseat of a Honda Accord driven by her mother's friend when she was hit in the back by a bullet around 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 5, according to Interim Police Commissioner Gary Tuggle.

A number of shots were fired in the 500 block of Lyndhurst Street, according to Tuggle, who said that based on the shell casings recovered, at least two different guns were involved.

Darnell Holmes, 33, of the 1400 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, was driving the Honda Accord, police said, and she has been arrested. Holmes is a friend of Hayes's mother, according to the interim commissioner. She has not been charged in shooting the 7-year-old girl, and officials said her involvement was unclear.

After the shooting, police said the Honda Accord left the crime scene and drove to Edmondson Avenue, where detectives recovered a .40-caliber handgun with an extended magazine as well as suspected narcotics.

Court records show Holmes was charged with narcotics and handgun offenses and is being held without bail.

Holmes worked for Baltimore City Public Schools as an aide, and the gun and drugs found in the vehicle belonged to her boyfriend, Fox 45 reported.

"We do not know if she was the target. We do not know if she was the person who fired," Tuggle said.

The car she was driving has dark tinted windows, so Tuggle noted a shooter could not see who was inside.

There was another child in the vehicle, who was not injured, according to police. The other child was believed to be related to Holmes. Fox 45 reported the children were going to an amusement park at the time of the shooting.

"It was not a random act of violence," Tuggle said. "We're trying to determine exactly what the motive was."

Investigators were looking into a white Mercedes Benz that may have been at the scene.

Police asked the public for tips about the white Mercedes, which could have dark paint transferred onto it.

The person in the white Mercedes may have shot toward the vehicle, according to Smith. He said that a total of two people were likely involved in the shooting, one of whom may have hit the girl through the trunk.

A GoFundMe page has been set up for Taylor Hayes to help pay for her medical expenses.

This is breaking news and will be updated.

Have a tip? Here is how to submit the information:

• Call Baltimore Police detectives at 410-396-2100 or 410-396-2221.
• Text tips to the Baltimore Police Department at 443-902-4824.
• Call the Metro Crime Stoppers tip line at 1-866-7LOCKUP; callers are anonymous.
• Download the Baltimore Police app to submit a tip online.

Picture of Taylor Hayes, 7, courtesy of Patch partner GoFundMe.