Here is her story
The Pasco County Sheriff's Office said it happened around 11:30 Sunday night off Wescott Drive in Port Richey.
It was a frightening night for the Port Richey neighborhood. "I went to lay down, I was watching TV, and then all the sudden I heard boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. Real loud noises," said neighbor Roberta Miller.
Sheriff Chris Nocco said the sounds Miller heard were shots being fired into her neighbor's home from a drive-by shooting.
The crib got shot up, the toys within the crib got shot up, and that little baby is alive," Nocco said. "So I will say there were actually guardian angels looking over that little baby.
The crib was shot six times, Nocco said.
One neighbor captured a car pulling up in front of the home, stopping, and then taking off.
Miller saw the aftermath. "I saw them carrying the little baby from my window into the ambulance," said Miller.
Nocco said the shooting was an isolated incident. He said the mother of the child, Linda Exline, is a documented gang member. "She was documented because she has gang tattoos and because she associates with gang members from the valentine blood," Nocco said.
Nocco also said Exline has three children. Two were in the home, and the other has been permanently removed. He also said several people, including Exline's boyfriend, who has a criminal record, were in the home and had drugs.
"It's absolutely horrific that a 1-year-old got hit, that a 1-year-old was actually placed in a lifestyle that allowed this to occur," Nocco said.
Nocco said his Child Protective Investigation Unit has made contact with Exline several times and that his office will be looking into why her two other children hadn’t been taken away sooner.
Exline has not been arrested because her child was shot, however Nocco said she will be arrested on drug charges.
Crime Stoppers is also offering up to $3,000 reward for information in the drive-by shooting. The car is believed to be a dark-colored sedan.
