Mother of shooting victim Laylah Washington: 'She was only 2 years old'

Laylah Washington died at 10:17 p.m. Tuesday only 850 days into her young life. 

Someone fired gunshots at the car in which the little girl was a passenger Sunday night despite the "baby on board" sticker attached to the vehicle, her mother said Wednesday. 

"She was only two years old," said her mother, Leslie Washington, sitting in her living room near a mantel adorned with photos of Laylah — one in a pink tutu and another of her smiling with rubber ducks.

Authorities continued to search for suspects in the apparent road rage incident. Memphis police released a video Wednesday afternoon showing Washington's car turning left at Kirby Parkway and Winchester followed by a black sedan matching the description of the car occupied by the shooter.

Meanwhile, family members remembered the little girl who loved the park, her toy doll, eating pizza and playing with her cousins.

"Just a happy baby," said her uncle, Terry Washington. "She was a lively child."

More:A 2-year-old with a bullet to the head? For what?

The shooting happened after 8 p.m. Sunday following an argument between another driver and Laylah's mother, according to a police report.

Leslie Washington told police that as she waited to pick up her two sons from work at Subway, people were driving  wildly in the parking lot of a Hickory Hill strip mall. She said she told the driver of a black Chevrolet Impala with three other occupants not to hit her car, and he yelled something she couldn't understand back at her.

She stayed in the parking lot while one of her sons picked up the 2-year-old to use the bathroom at Subway. Then, all three of her children came back to the car. 

"If you sat there and actually watched them come out, you knew I had a baby in the car," Leslie Washington said.

The family stopped at Dollar General and Washington stayed in the car while her sons went into the store.

Back on the road about a minute  after their stop at the dollar store, she heard gunshots. Her older son said Laylah had been hit. 

"(The suspects) followed me," she said. "Even if you say you're sorry I'm not accepting that ... This happened Sunday and today is Wednesday. Nobody came forward. You haven't said anything. Basically you're just like, 'whatever.' You have no sense for human life."

After the shooting, Washington drove to Memphis Fire Station No. 52, located only minutes away where paramedics took Laylah to LeBonheur Children's Hospital in extremely critical condition. 

"It’s hard especially in the way that she died ... Laylah was my life," Washington said.

Condolences poured in on social media, where loved ones posted photos and videos of Laylah.

"#FlyHighLaylah you got your wings baby," a family member wrote in a Facebook post.

More:2-year-old girl in critical condition after apparent road rage shooting

On Wednesday near the Subway on Winchester, a mother of four held a "Stop the Violence" sign in response to the shooting. 

"This could have been my child," said Danielle Jones. "This is my child because I'm part of the community. It was senseless, just senseless. I pray to God they catch the coward who took this child's life."

Jones brought with her a red stuffed animal that had "Kiss Me" displayed on a heart against its chest.

Also standing with Jones was a fellow concerned citizen, Marcus Wallace, who said he wanted to let Laylah's family know "I'm here, and I do care about the city of Memphis and what's going on."

MPD Director Michael Rallings said in a statement earlier this week that he was "disgusted" when he heard about the shooting of Laylah,

"This type of senseless violence must stop," he said.

He added, "To the family of little Laylah, I want you to know that I am praying for you. Also, know that the men and women of the Memphis Police Department are working tirelessly to bring justice to those with no regard for human life."

In releasing the video, Memphis police stated in a Facebook post: “During the initial altercation, several vehicles were driving recklessly through the parking lot in the 6600 block of Winchester. There were also several patrons loitering in the parking lot in the immediate vicinity. Anyone who was in this parking lot at the time of this incident needs to contact MPD with any information that may lead to the identification of the person(s) responsible for this shooting and the location of the suspect vehicle.”

Anyone with information about the suspects is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 901-528-2274.

The Commercial Appeal photographer Yalonda M. James contributed to this report.