Teen Arrested In Port Hueneme Shooting Which Wounded Pregnant Mother, Young Daughter
PORT HUENEME (CBSLA) – An 18-year-old man has been taken into custody in connection with a shooting last summer in Port Hueneme which left a pregnant mother and her 7-year-old daughter seriously wounded and garnered significant media attention because the victims' claims they were denied assistance when they rushed for help to a nearby fire station.
Anthony Silerio was arrested Wednesday on counts of attempted murder, street terrorism, shooting at an inhabited dwelling and assault with a firearm in the July 2 shooting that wounded Maryam Davis and her daughter Kaylanaa Davis, the Ventura County Sheriff's Office reports.
Kaylanaa was shot in the head and went into a coma, but survived. Maryam, who was three months pregnant, was struck in the leg.
According to Port Hueneme police at the time, at least one suspect either drove by or walked up to the home in the 100 block of East Pearl Street and shot multiple rounds into it while a couple and their three children were inside.
Police said Kaylanaa's father rushed his daughter to a nearby Ventura County Fire Department station, but the firefighters inside refused to come out and help him because they believed they were in danger.
Police officers were eventually dispatched to the station based on a 911 call from the girl's mother.
"Unfortunately, the fire department was unresponsive and did not come out, and so we transported the child in a police unit to the local hospital," Port Hueneme Police Chief Andrew Salinas reported the day after the shooting.
VCFD officials disputed those allegations, stating that firefighters provided first aid to the girl within two minutes of being notified of the situation outside of the station.
"After thoroughly reviewing our station video footage and the exact timeline of our response, it's evident that Fire Station 53 responded in a timely, prudent and professional manner to this incredibly dynamic incident," VCFD Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen told reporters on July 3.
Police, meanwhile, have not yet confirmed a motive in the shootings or whether any more suspects are being sought. Silerio is being held on $1 million bail.
