California man arrested for conspiring with girlfriend to murder his 11-month-old baby

On Monday, April 17, San Leandro, California, police officers arrested 29-year-old Marcel Terran Brooks for the attempted murder of his 11-month-old son.

Brooks and his girlfriend, Andanna Chiamaka Ibe, 27, allegedly lured Brooks’ ex-girlfriend and their son to a McDonald’s restaurant where Ibe, dressed in a dark hoodie and wearing a mask and gloves, opened fire on the woman and child. Despite firing a close range, neither the baby nor his mother got hit. Ibe fled the scene before authorities arrived.

According to local news station KTVU, Brooks arranged a meeting with the mother of his son and when the two arrived at the McDonald’s around 2:30 in the afternoon he texted Ibe and told her to “carry out the plan.” Ibe then entered the restaurant and shot at the victims from approximately 1 foot away.

“The detectives that investigated this case say that it was a miracle that no one was hit,” said San Leandro Police spokesman Lt. Isaac Benabou in a press release issued yesterday.

There were about 20-30 people inside the McDonald’s during the shooting.

After the shooting, Iba fled in her car, while Brooks allegedly took a BART train home. The couple, who have a 5-year-old son together, was arrested Tuesday in a Sacramento Motel 6.

According to the KTVU news story, Brooks’ family members said he has a full-time job as a truck driver, shares custody of his older son with Ibe, and supports his children.

Meanwhile, detectives are investigating the possibility that this is not the first time Brooks and Ibe attempted to harm the child. Reports suggest Ibe tried to “strike and kill” the baby and his mother with her car last month.

Brooks and Ibe were each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit a crime and four counts of premeditated murder for multiple attacks on the boy and his mother.

The pair is being held without bail in the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin. They are scheduled to appear for arraignment on April 27.

[Feature Photo: Santa Rita County Jail]