Eric Derell Smith from Louisiana used his three-month-old baby as a human shield during shootout with Mississippi police that ended with his death and that of his infant son

La’Mello Parker, aged three months, died after being hurt during gunfire exchange between police and his father, Eric Smith, who was also killed

Smith, 30, was accused of shooting and killing his ex-girlfriend, Christin Parker, 32, and her 26-year-old nephew, Brandon Parker, inside their home in Baker, Louisiana on Monday

He then grabbed his baby and fled, leading law enforcement from several jurisdictions in a chase that spilled into neighboring MIssissippi

Law enforcement officers chased Smith for 130 miles before his car got stuck in a grassy median in Biloxi, Mississippi, on Monday afternoon

Smith was said to have stepped out of his car been using his son as a human shield by holding him against his chest with one hand and a gun in the other

Police said officers opened fire on Smith after he got out of the vehicle, killing him The infant was shot in the process andd he later died from his injuries at a local hospital

The identity of the person who shot the baby has not been revealed, but a Harrison County sheriff’s deputy and a Biloxi police officer have been placed on administrative leave pending the otcome of the investigation

A suspect in a double homicide in Louisiana who authorities say kidnapped his infant son on Monday allegedly used the baby as a human shield during a deadly gun battle with police in Mississippi.
Eric Derell Smith, 30, was shot and killed by officers in Biloxi following a 130-mile chase that spilled into the neighboring state of Mississippi. His three-month-old son, La’Mello Parker, died at a hospital hours later from what officials have described as injuries sustained during the shootout.
A Harrison County sheriff’s deputy and a Biloxi police officer have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation into the shooting.
Many questions surrounding the incident remain unanswered, including whether La’Mello had been shot by officers, or his own father, and whether Smith had opened fire on police first. 

Biloxi Police have said Smith did fire on officers at some point, either during the chase or the standoff. However, questions surrounding the death of baby La’Mello Parker remain unanswered. 
‘Once a thorough investigation is completed, the information will be presented to the District Attorney’s Office,’ Major Christopher De Back of Biloxi police said in response to inquiries about La’Mello’s death. 
The injured baby was hospitalized after officers opened fire on the car driven by his father, who died of multiple gunshot wounds Monday following a two-state chase that ended in the median of Interstate 10 in Biloxi. 

Video made by a witness shows cops shooting at the vehicle of Eric Smith in Mississippi on Monday, killing him. His baby son also died after he was caught in the crossfire

Fox10 reported that Smith used his son as a human shield, after allegedly killing the boy’s mother and her nephew during a domestic incident, and kidnapping the boy. The tragic coclusion began unfolding as a domestic dispute in Louisiana and led to a shootout in Mississippi ended with the death of an infant child.
The 3-month old La’Mello Parker, was taken to the University and South Alabama University Hospital and later transferred to Children’s and Women’s Hospital, where he died. 
The boy’s father, Eric Derell Smith, died during the shootout.
Local paper, The Advocate also reported that Smith was holding his baby son against his chest with one hand and his gun in the other while fleeing from police. 
Harrison County, Mississippi, Coroner Brian Switzer said that the baby succumbed to his injuries at around 1.30am on Tuesday at USA Children’s and Women’s Hospital in Mobile, Aabama. Switzer said an autopsy will be performed to determine the cause.

The incident began unfolding at around 11.30am on Monday, when Smith allegedly shot and killed his ex-girlfriend, 32-year-old Christin Parker, and her nephew, 26-year-old Brandon Parker, inside a home in the 2000 block of Richmond Street in Baker, Louisiana.
Parker’s older daughter ran to a nearby home for help, saying that her mother had been shot, a neighbor told WBRZ.
‘I came over there and I went in the room and tried to pick [Christin] up to see if I could help… but she was lifeless and there was … too much blood coming out of her head,’ the neighbor said.    
According to a press release from the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, Smith then took his infant son, La’Mello Parker, from the scene of the double homicide and sped away in a blue Nissan Altima.
Law enforcement officers from multiple agencies pursued Smith as he fled east on Interstate 10 towards Gulfport. 
WLOX-TV showed video with more than a dozen law enforcement cars, with blue lights flashing, following Smith’s car at slow speeds after Smith’s tires had been flattened.
As the 130-mile chase entered Biloxi, Mississippi, Smith drove onto the grassy median in an attempt to cross it and get onto I-10 westbound, but the car got stuck near Mile Marker 40. 
According to a press release from the Biloxi Police Department, when Smith stepped out of the vehicle, ‘shots were fired.’  
Eyewitness video captured officers firing a barrage of bullets at Smith’s car, resulting in his death. 

After the suspect was killed, US Marshals got into the suspect’s car, grabbed baby La’Mello and rushed him to an area hospital to be treated for gunshot wounds. 
The child was also shot during the incident and was taken to Merit Health Biloxi and eventually transported to a Mobile area hospital. Police in Biloxi did not say whether the baby was shot by one of the officers on the scene.  
The infant, who was born in late January, was later transferred to the hospital in Mobile, where he succumbed to his injuries the following morning. 
Smith’s criminal record included a 2017 arrest for misdemeanor simple battery targeting his boss, but he had no known history of domestic violence complaints.  
An autopsy will be conducted Wednesday to determine the exact cause of death. Biloxi police said a Harrison County sheriff’s deputy and police officer who were involved in the shooting are administrative leave pending the investigation.

Biloxi police are handling the investigation because the Mississippi Highway Patrol, Gulfport police and the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office took part in the chase. Meanwhile, a Harrison County sheriff’s deputy and police officer who were involved in the shooting are administrative leave pending the investigation.