TUCSON, Ariz. — A 9-month-old boy is dead after he sustained gunshot wounds Tuesday in southern Arizona.
The Pima County Sheriff's Department said the baby's father, 19-year-old Gabriel Huerta, had allegedly made suicidal statements on Nov. 5 before leaving the family's residence with his child.
Huerta allegedly expressed intentions of harming both the child and himself.
Sheriff's deputies located Huerta near Himmel Park in Tucson but Huerta ran away on foot when deputies attempted to approach him. Multiple gunshots were heard a short time later.
Huerta and the 9-month-old were located, both had sustained gunshot wounds.
PCSD said the father and son were taken to the hospital. The child died and Huerta is in critical condition.
It appears Huerta's injury was self-inflicted, PCSD said.
The investigation is ongoing.
How big is Maricopa County?
Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.
The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.
The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.
The county was named after the Maricopa, or Piipaash, Native American Tribe.
