Eleven-month-old baby sitting in a car is left in critical condition after being shot in the FACE by a stray bullet in the Bronx during gun battle

Police are seen on the corner of East 198th street in the Bronx following the 6:45pm Wednesday shooting

Cones mark evidence from the scene of Wednesday night's shooting in the Bronx

A heavy police presence is seen in the Bronx on Wednesday night after the shooting

The street is seen taped off on Wednesday night, as locals gathered to observe

Police patrol cars block the street after the 6:45pm shooting on Wednesday in the Bron

The 52nd Precinct tweeted: 'Due to Police activity, please avoid the vicinity of East 198 Street between Bainbridge and Grand Concourse. 

'Expect Emergency vehicles and delays in the area.'

The shooting came as the newly-minted mayor struggles to get a grip on violence in the city.

Adams, a former NYPD officer, was elected on a campaign promise to reduce soaring crime, but in the first two weeks of his term shootings have continued to rise.

There have been 52 shootings in the week to January 16, with 57 victims - an increase of 15.6 percent on 2021.

Total crime is up 35 percent, year on year, according to CompStat.  

Adams is seen on Wednesday night at the scene of the shooting, after visiting the family in hospital

Adams, a former NYPD officer, tweeted that the violence was unacceptable and must stop

At the scene on Wednesday night, Adams described the shooting as a 'wake up call' and said: 'I refuse to surrender New York City to violence.'

The 61-year-old tweeted: 'An 11-month-old baby shot in the Bronx. 

'If that's not a wake up call, I don't know what is. 

'It should be unimaginable that this would happen in our city. But it did. 

'Leaders at every level have abandoned city streets. I won't. I refuse to surrender New York City to violence.'

Adams added: 'We will not give up the fight to keep babies like her safe.'

He appealed for anyone with information to get in touch. 

On Tuesday night, Adams addressed a Times Square vigil for a 40-year-old Deloitte executive who died on Saturday when a mentally ill homeless man pushed her into the path of an oncoming train.

Adams said the violence has to stop.

'Right here in Times Square, I served as a police officer, and spent many days in the early '80s wearing a blue uniform as a police officer - a transit police officer, watching where we were,' he told the crowd.

'Swearing and committed that we would never go back.'