Police say the shooting happened around 9:30 p.m. when Kendrick Myles allegedly fired shots into a house on West Upland Avenue. A 2-year-old child was struck and was taken to the hospital. Chief Murphy Paul confirmed during a press conference Friday that the child later died.
The East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner’s Office identified the toddler as Azariah Thomas.
“The two years we had was a loving 2 years. Even though the person that did it is gone. It still don’t bring no closure to heavy heart that we have,” said Lakechia Powell, grandmother of the 2-year-old victim.
“All he want to say is let me watch, he’ll get you two and he’ll watch. Educational stuff. He knew all the Elmo’s, he knew all the Big Birds, he just know his ABC’s, all the way to 10,” said Powell.
The family says they knew the child’s alleged killer.
“We was just sitting there having family fun, and we just heard shots form the window. And we just realized ‘NaNa’ (boys nickname). He came and he stole my ‘NaNa’ away from us,” said Powell.
Kendrick Myles, 41, was charged with killing the boy after his arrest Friday morning after an hours-long standoff with police, according to the station.
Police would only say that Myles had a beef with the people who lived in the house where Azariah was shot, the Baton Rouge Advocate reported.
Police said the house was one of the stops Myles made during a rampage that began Thursday night and reportedly included kidnapping a 9-year-old nephew, shooting a male relative in the hand and shooting it out with another relative who showed up to rescue the nephew.
“He was a beautiful soul and when we’re out there and we’re trying to find comforting words, it’s hard,” said Chief Paul.
The city’s top cop appealed to everyone to stop the violence and just be better, saying someone, somewhere had the information to stop this before it started.
“We’re dealing with the same people over and over and over again,” said Paul. While their job is far from over, the chief says the community is safer with Myles off the streets. “This criminal who took the life of a baby, we have to do better than that,” said Paul.
Source: foxnews.com www.wafb.com
