'Prayers Up' For 3-Year-Old Girl Shot On Long Island

LONG ISLAND, NY — A family member is asking for prayers and funds to help a 3-year-old Long Island girl who was struck after bullets sprayed into her home when a slaying suspect sought by homicide detectives opened fire at them earlier this week.

Lovely Azilee-Louise Toney was shot multiple times while playing in her Ridge living room on Tuesday night, says her cousin, Catherine Bright, who has created a GoFundMe page. The little girl was shot in her hand then through her stomach and the bullet hit her liver and kidney before exiting her back, according to Bright.

She is currently at Cohen Children's Medical Center in New Hyde Park in stable condition, Bright said.

Her mother, Cathy Marie Serrano, is the sole provider/income of the household and she is currently taking a leave of absence to be at the hospital with her daughter, according to Bright.

"We’re asking if you could help this family with anything you can," she wrote. "It would be greatly appreciated. Keep Lovely Toney in your prayers and thoughts. We thank you all."

All of the donations will go straight to Serrano, Bright said.

Patch has reached out to Bright for comment.

So far, the GoFundMe page has raised $425 toward its $10,000 goal.

A hashtag has also been created in honor of Lovely — #PrayersUp4Lovely.

Homicide detectives following up on a slaying that took place in Central Islip on June 19, arrived at Ticonderoga Court in Strathmore Ridge, at around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Suffolk police said, adding that while interviewing a friend of the suspect, who lived at the home, detectives learned that he was inside.

Detectives directed the friend, as well as children, who were also in the home, to leave, and it was then that the suspect, Gary Jones, 38, of North Amityville, emerged from a room inside of the house, armed with a handgun, and fired numerous shots at the detectives, who backed out of the home, police said.

One of the shots the suspect fired went through a wall, striking a girl in the next apartment and she was rushed to a local hospital with a gunshot wound, police initially said.

Police later released bodycam footage showing an officer frantically rushing the toddler into Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead, Newsday reported.

Detectives and police officers later surrounded the house and called for hostage negotiators and officers from the Emergency Services Unit who went inside with a robot and found Jones dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.

Officers did not return fire in the initial confrontation, according to police.

The investigation is continuing, police said.

Detectives are asking anyone with information related to the shooting to call the Homicide Squad at 631-852-6392.