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Following the fatal shooting of a 1-year-old girl in Compton, Calif., officials said the gunfire was probably meant for her gang member father 鈥� a grave reminder of the Los Angeles County city鈥檚 violent past.

The girl, Autumn Johnson, had been in her crib Tuesday night when the gunman got out of a car, fired multiple rounds of shots into her parents鈥� home, which was a converted garage, and then drove off, officials said.

The mayor of Compton, Aja Brown, has since made a plea to her residents to rekindle their fight against gang violence, which made the city notorious 30 years ago for gang-related feuds, drive-by shootings, and rampant homicides.

"I stand today with Compton residents in recommitting ourselves to the fight against gang violence," she said.

The city has come a long way in addressing gang violence since the 1980s and 90s when feuding gangs made national headlines, but this incident is a painful reminder of the work that remains to ensure residents' safety.

As they investigate for possible leads, the authorities say that Autumn's father, Darrell Johnson, may have been the intended target. The toddler鈥檚 mother, Blanche Wandick, is pleading for the killer to be caught.

"My innocent baby got shot for nothing. She was sitting 鈥� just standing in her crib 鈥� and out of nowhere, gunshots," Ms. Wandick told the Los Angeles Times. 鈥淭hat's all. That's all I can say. That's it. I miss my baby, I love my baby, but she is gone.鈥�

Authorities have offered a $25,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest. Tipsters can remain anonymous, sheriff鈥檚 officials said.

In its most violent peak, Compton had 87 killings in 1991. Ravaged by the infamous Bloods and Crips street gangs, the city was also the victim of economic downturn. But since, a lot has changed. Homicides have plummeted. Large retailers that have stayed away for so long have now moved in. There鈥檚 now even a Wal-Mart.

"People think of Compton as a very dangerous place," Mayor Brown told the LA Times last year. "But when we look at the statistics and the feel of the city and we talk to people who live here, it's a different city from 25 years ago."

Many of Compton鈥檚 improvements can be attributed to better city policies and programs, the Monitor鈥檚 Gloria Goodale reported last summer:

But Compton鈥檚 recovery is far from over. As indicated by Tuesday鈥檚 tragedy, the city is far completely shedding its violent past. In the past six months, Compton has had eight homicides out of 475 violent crimes, according to the LA Times. And nearly all the homes in little Autumn鈥檚 neighborhood have bars on the windows.

鈥淐ompton is still rocking and reeling from the '80s," longtime resident Calvin Moore told the paper in August. "It's trying to find its balance."

This report contains material from the Associated Press.