Syracuse, N.Y. — A 34-year-old man was charged with attempted murder in the shooting of a pregnant woman in Syracuse on Friday.
David L. Kirby was arraigned Saturday morning on charges of second-degree attempted murder charge and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
Prosecutors said in court they do not believe the woman and unborn child will survive. Authorities have not identified her.
Kirby and the victim were a couple in a “domestic” relationship, a police spokesman said today.
A Syracuse police detective who was working a regular detail for the homeless shelter witnessed the shooting at 9:37 a.m. in the 100 block of Dickerson Street and caught the suspect, police said. An officer at the scene said the woman, 26, was shot in the head, according to dispatch reports.
Kirby has a criminal history.
Kirby was arrested Oct. 9 and charged with third-degree and fourth-degree criminal mischief, according to Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard archives. He was also arrested twice in 2022 and once in 2021, according to records.
Kirby was also arrested in 2017 after he stabbed his sister and her boyfriend during a fight. The sister told police she got into a fight with Kirby that became violent, police said then. She told police that Kirby stabbed her boyfriend when he tried to help her.
He served two years in state prison for second-degree attempted assault from 2018 until 2020, according to state inmate records.
In court Saturday, the prosecution asked Judge Shadia Tadros to order the suspect to stay from the victim and the child in case they survive. The mother is still in critical condition, Lt. Matthew Malinowski, a Syracuse police spokesperson, said Saturday.
Tadros set Kirby’s bail at $500,000 cash bail and a $1 million bail bond. He was held in the county Justice Center.
If Kirby posts bail, Tadros requested him to surrender any firearms he may have to the Syracuse Police Department 24 hours after his release.
Kirby’s defense lawyer said Kirby was not helped financially and felt the bail amount requested by the prosecution was excessive. The lawyer then asked the judge to consider a lower bail, but Tadros denied the request, stating the charges may be upgraded if either the woman or the child were to die.
On Friday, police could not say how, or if, the suspect and victim knew each other. Neither they nor the Rescue Mission could say whether either was staying or eating at the shelter.
After the shooting, the detective chased and caught the suspect, according to dispatch reports. Dispatchers said the suspect was hit by a car.
A spokeswoman for the Rescue Mission said the shooting was down the street from the homeless help agency’s campus. The Rescue Mission’s campus takes up almost all of the 100 block of Dickerson Street.
Kirby will appear in court on Thursday for a preliminary hearing.
Staff writer Darian Stevenson covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? You can reach her at dstevenson@syracuse.com