7-month-old boy fatally shot in neck while sleeping in South Carolina apartment, police say

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WTVD) -- A 7-month-old boy is dead after a shooting Sunday in South Carolina.

Around 4:15 a.m., investigators said people walked up and fired shots into an apartment in Spartanburg on Collins Avenue. One of those bullets hit baby Zymir Demarco Smith while he slept next to his mother.

Responding officers said upon arrival, they followed a trail of blood in the residence. They found Zymir suffering with a gunshot wound on his neck.

"Emergency medical services were immediately called to the scene. Despite the efforts the render aid, the infant was unresponsive and later pronounced deceased," the police department said.

Police and neighbors are calling the shooting a "senseless and heartbreaking tragedy."

"No parent, no community, no family should have to experience like this," Major Art Littlejohn, a spokesperson for Spartan Police Department, said.

A neighbor said: "I couldn't imagine like...that's somebody's baby. They never got to experience life."

Authorities said they are urgently looking for the people responsible and are investigating if this deadly shooting could be connected to other shootings in the area.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Spartanburg Police Department at 864-596-2065. Tips can be submitted anonymously.