A 26-year-old father was charged in the death of his newborn daughter after police said she was shot with a crossbow Monday during a domestic incident in Broome County, New York.
Emergency crews were originally called on Monday morning to a home in the Town of Colesville, about 120 miles southwest of Albany, after receiving reports that a woman and infant were shot with a crossbow.
Police said Patrick D. Proefriedt, 26, of Nineveh, got into an argument with his wife and fired a crossbow at her while she was holding their 3-week-old daughter, Eleanor M. Carey.
The crossbow hit the infant in the upper torso, exiting near the armpit before striking her mother in the chest.
Proefriedt removed the arrow and attempted to stop his wife from calling 911, then fled the scene in a red 2016 Dodge Ram pickup truck before responding deputies arrived, police said. His vehicle became stuck in the mud in the woods nearby, and Broome County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from New York State Police and Chenango County Sheriff’s Office, said they located Proefriedt within an hour.
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Deputies at the scene found the weapon and attempted lifesaving measures on the baby before bringing her out to paramedics. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Her mother was hospitalized and officials did not indicate the severity of her injuries.
Proefriedt was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and attempted murder, as well as first-degree criminal contempt for violating an order of protection.
“He is a repugnant human being,” Broome County Sheriff Fred Akshar said at a Monday press conference. “I’m glad, as I stand here, I don’t have to wonder or worry about where Mr. Proefriedt is. He’s exactly where he belongs, in the confines of this correctional facility. And it is my deepest desire on Eleanor’s behalf that he never, ever sees the light of day again.”