We’re just grateful that the child and both occupants weren’t killed with the number of shots fired ... I’m confident that at some point we’ll be able to track down those individuals.”

Maj. Todd Patalano

A broad-daylight shooting that occurred Monday on Hillwood Street remains under investigation, according to police, while the man shot in the incident – who was in a parked car with his girlfriend and her infant at the time – is expected to survive.

Maj. Todd Patalano on Tuesday confirmed the shooting is believed to be a targeted, “gang-related” incident and that there is no ongoing threat to the neighborhood.

He said “a large number of rounds” were fired, and police are seeking two suspects.

“We’re just grateful that the child and both occupants weren’t killed with the number of shots fired … I’m confident that at some point we’ll be able to track down these individuals,” he said.

According to a statement post on social media, police responded to the shooting at approximately 4:15 p.m. on Monday.

The vehicle that was targeted was parked in front of 41 Hillwood St., police said, when a second vehicle containing two people “pulled up, exited, and fired multiple rounds into the victim’s vehicle.” The suspects then reentered their vehicle and left the scene.

Patalano said the 25-year-old man wounded in the incident was shot once in the arm, while another bullet passed through the headrest and struck his neck. He was transported to the hospital for treatment. The woman and child were uninjured.

After the shooting, the victim’s vehicle made its way to a gas station on Cranston Street. Police were actively working at both the Hillwood Street location and on Cranston Street Monday evening, with multiple evidence markers visible on the roadway at the first location.

Police have identified a license plate for the suspect vehicle based on a review of nearby security camera footage. Patalano said the hope is that the new Flock Safety license plate reading camera system operating throughout the city will assist police in locating and apprehending the shooting suspects.

He declined to specify whether the vehicle has been detected in the city since the shooting, or to discuss other evidence in detail.

To date, Patalano said, the license plate cameras have helped police make roughly 50 arrests, including in recent high-profile cases involving bank heists and armed robberies. While the program has drawn some opposition, including from the ACLU of Rhode Island, the major said it is “unquestionably one of the best tools that we have right now.”

“In essence, it’s like having that many more police officers out there as a set of eyes to detect any suspect vehicles that we’re looking for,” he said.

Asked whether there is concern that the attention surrounding the program may decrease its effectiveness – for example, a criminal suspect who is aware of the cameras avoiding driving on Cranston streets, and thus evading detection – Patalano said police at this point are confident in the camera system.

“They’re certainly a deterrent … The majority of them are very hard to detect if you don’t know what you’re looking for,” he said.

Patalano also said the locations of the cameras were selected based on a “precise study.”

“We’re pretty confident that we have pretty much every avenue covered in terms of routes in and out of the city,” he said.