Investigators are still trying to piece together what led to the attack.
View full sizeMembers of the Onondaga County Sheriff's SWAT team bring out James M. Tyler, 35, following his surrender Sunday after a two-hour standoff with police.Nedrow, NY – The woman shot Sunday as she brought her 1-month-old baby to her boyfriend’s mother’s house is in good condition at a local hospital Monday morning, state police said.
The man accused of shooting Brittany L. McAlpine – the baby’s uncle, James M. Tyler – was arraigned Sunday in Town of Onondaga Court. He is being held at the Justice Center Jail on $200,000 bail on a felony assault charge, troopers said.
Investigators still are seeking to discover a motive behind the attack, Sgt. Susan Lockyer said.
“We certainly suspect he was under the influence of something,” Lockyer said. Tyler seemed “a little irrational sometimes” during a two-hour standoff that followed the shooting and he told investigators later that he was a drug abuser, she said.
McAlpine, 25, of Westbrook Hills Drive, Onondaga, had delivered her son to the home of Linda Warner, 209 Laursen Drive, Nedrow, shortly before 11:34 a.m. Sunday. She was returning to the house with items she had fetched from her car when Tyler shot her, state police said.
A neighbor brought McAlpine to safety. She was to undergo surgery Sunday night at Upstate University Hospital. She was conscious and talking afterward, Lockyer said.
Tyler surrendered about 1:45 p.m. after talking with state police and family members by phone.
Investigators found the baby boy unharmed in a crib.
They also found three handguns inside the house, Lockyer said. Troopers initially thought McAlpine had been shot with a long gun but that is being reviewed, Lockyer said. Troopers also are seeking to find out who owns the handguns, she said.
Tyler’s brother, Jaquan Tyler, is the baby’s father, troopers said. Jaquan Tyler has been in prison since August on a parole violation.