Baby girl shot in the head while in her cot

'My innocent baby got shot for nothing. She was sitting, standing in her crib, and out of nowhere, gunshots'

Autumn Johnson was killed on Tuesday (Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department)

A murder investigation has been launched after a one-year-old baby was shot dead while she was in her cot at her home in Los Angeles.

Autumn Johnson died after sustaining a gunshot wound to her head on Tuesday evening in Compton.

It is believed that Autumn had been inside a garage, which had been converted into an apartment, when shots were fired at the building.

Witnesses, who said they heard several gunshots, saw the baby’s father carry her out of the garage in his arms.

Autumn was pronounced dead the same day at St Francis Medical Center in Lynwood. She had celebrated her first birthday a week earlier.

According to KTLA-TV, the baby’s mother, Blanche Wandick, said: “My innocent baby got shot for nothing. She was sitting, standing in her crib, and out of nowhere, gunshots.

“I miss my baby, I love my baby, but she’s gone, and I appreciate anybody who’s helping and trying to find who did it.”

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said that the motive behind the shooting appeared to be gang related and that they were looking for two suspects who were seen leaving the scene.

“It looks like they targeted a person, and they didn’t shoot the house, they shot into the garage,” Lieutenant John Corrina told KTLA-TV. “So they were obviously targeting whoever’s living in the garage. Of course the baby’s not the target. The baby caught a stray round.”

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help raise money to cover the cost of Autumn’s funeral.