A shootout in Richmond, Calif., on Thursday left a 1-year-old boy hit by a stray bullet while he was being fed inside his home.

Elijah was inside his house located in the Iron Triangle area of the town, just west of Oakland, when a bullet fragment fired by a gunman on the street struck the infant. The child was being fed by his grandparents, who were looking after Elijah while the child's father was at work.

Authorities said the boy was struck in the neck by the bullet and then rushed to Children's Hospital Oakland for emergency surgery.

"(His) condition is less critical than initially thought," Richmond Police Chief Chris Magnus told the Contra Costa Times. "You have a 1-year-old child who was literally in the arms of the grandparents. They are feeding him and bullets come into the house."

Magnus said the police department will give the case its highest priority.

On Thursday afternoon Police Capt. Mark Gagan said that the boy's condition was stable, but that doctors planned to keep him at the hospital at least overnight into Friday.

"This shouldn't happen, my son didn't do nothing to nobody, I didn't do nothing to nobody," Rosshan Ali, Elijah's father, said. "I go to work and come home you know. And it's not my fault I live in a certain area."

The police department's Lt. Bisa French told the publication that the shooter was targeting one specific individual and that police are investigating whether the shooting was gang-related. The shooter is still unidentified and the local police department offers a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the suspect.

Rev. Andre Shumake, a member of the Richmond Improvement Association, called the incident "tragic." He added, "Imagine being at work and getting a call that your infant son has been shot."

A man riding a bicycle on the street was also hit in the incident and rushed to a local hospital, though reports said he is now in good condition.