Mother and baby dead, 3 others wounded after shooting outside apartment complex

Police have arrested three men in connection with a shooting in Virginia's capital city that left a mother and her baby dead as well as three others wounded.

The deadly shooting occurred Tuesday evening outside an apartment complex in Richmond's Southside area. The Richmond Police Department said its officers were dispatched to the scene just after 6:30 p.m. ET where they discovered two women, two teenage girls and a 3-month-old baby suffering from gunshot wounds. One of the women, 30-year-old Sharnez Hill, the infant's mother, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.

The four other victims were transported to a hospital, where the baby died from her injuries. The other three victims are expected to survive, police said.

Donald Hemmings, 22, Shyheem Martin, 23, and Shamondrick Perry, 19, were arrested Wednesday night and charged with conspiracy to commit murder. Additional charges are pending and investigators are working to determine whether others were involved in the shooting, according to police.

Richmond Police Chief Gerald Smith described the scene where gunshots were fired as a quad surrounded by multiple apartment buildings, across the street from a high school. Investigators believe the shots were targeting an apartment unit rather than a person.

"It's just a heinous act that baffles the mind as to why anyone would do this in a quad full of children just out enjoying themselves," Smith said during a press conference Tuesday night. "They had no regard for the individuals that were out there."

Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney described the victims as "innocent bystanders" who were shot "in a single, senseless act of gun violence."

"This is a tragedy that no community should have to experience," Stoney said in a statement Tuesday night. "My heart aches for our families."

Anyone with information on the deadly shooting is urged to call Detective Gregory Russell with the Richmond Police Department's Major Crimes Unit at 804-646-7715 or to contact the Metro Richmond Crime Stoppers at 804-780-1000.