Ohio police launch manhunt for Darnell Bitting after girl, 4, is shot dead

Police in the US have launched a manhunt after a four-year-old girl was shot dead while sitting in a car.

The child, who has not been identified, was in the vehicle with her siblings - girls aged seven, six, and three - and grandmother in the city of Akron, Ohio at 10.30pm on Friday (17 February.) when she was fatally shot.

The incident occured after the children's mother drove to a house to collect belongings. When noone answered the door she broke the windows.

Police spokesperson Lieutenant Rick Edward said it was then that a man stepped outside the house brandishing a rifle. He fired a single shot at the car, which struck the four-year-old who was sitting in the back seat.

The girl was pronounced dead in hospital. Lt Edwards said a murder warrant has been issued for 31-year-old Darnell Bitting's arrest, Sky News reports.

Bitting is 6ft 3in tall, weighs 240lbs, and is described as armed and dangerous.