5-Month-Old Baby Dies In Crossfire As Irate Man Wanted To Assault Infant's Mom

A 5-month-old baby died after being attacked by a man, who got involved in a heated argument with the child's mother and wanted to attack her with a spade. However, the infant came in the crossfire.

The incident took place Saturday in a town in South Africa. Following the argument, the accused, who was the child's mother's uncle, attempted to strike his 16-year-old niece with a spade, but ended up hitting the baby, who was on the teen's back.

"The baby was taken to a local clinic where he was transported to Wolmaransstad Hospital and ultimately transferred to Tshepong Hospital where he died due to head injuries," a police spokesperson, Amanda Funani, told Jacaranda FM.

The accused, identified only as a 38-year-old man, has been arrested. However, the charges against him have not been revealed.

"According to reports, the 16-year-old mother of the five-month-old infant had an argument on Saturday, 5 November 2022, with her uncle. The uncle then went outside and came back with a spade and tried to assault the niece, but ended up hitting the five-month-old baby boy whom her mother was carrying on her back," said Funani.

"The suspect is expected to appear in the Leeudoringstad Magistrate's Court on Tuesday, 9 November 2022, for murder," Funani said, according to IOL.

Meanwhile, the provincial police commissioner of North West, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena, "condemned" the incident.

In September, a newborn baby was strangled and dumped at a house in Ga-Mashabela, in Limpopo. The body was found wrapped in a plastic bag. "According to the reports, members of this family woke up only to find the body of a newborn baby wrapped in a plastic bag on their doorstep. The police were immediately summoned, and upon arrival, they started with initial investigations," a senior officer was quoted as saying. "It is believed that the baby girl, who is about a day old, was strangled before she was put inside the bag. It was also found that the body was already at the decomposition stage. The mother of the child has not yet been identified," he said.