DETROIT (AP) - Attackers peppered a house on Detroit's west side with gunshots early Monday, killing a 9-month-old boy, police said.
Delric Miller was in the living room and other children and adults were at home when the shooting happened around 4:30 a.m., Sgt. Eren Stephens told reporters. The boy was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Police Chief Ralph Godbee said during an afternoon press conference that the shooting was gang-related. An AK-47 rifle was used in the attack. No arrests have been made.
"It's actually amazing - an act of God - that more people in that house were not killed," Godbee said. "Again, adult behavior has brought another child in Detroit to an end that is certainly incomprehensible for a lot of people."
Neighbors said they heard rapid gunfire. The assailants drove off after the attack.
Detroit saw a rise in homicides last year and continues to see an uptick in killings.
A 12-year-old girl was killed Jan. 31 after shots were fired into her Detroit home. Police have said that shooting stemmed from a misunderstanding about a mobile phone. A 19-year-old man and his 35-year-old mother have been charged in the killing.
There were 344 homicides in Detroit last year, compared with 308 in 2010. As of Feb. 12, 41 homicides were recorded. There were 33 at the same time last year.
"We as a community ... we have to come together to stop this senseless violence," Stephens said.