Four teenagers charged with murder over ‘unthinkable’ killing of four-year-old boy who was shot while asleep in his bed
Four teenagers have been arrested for the murder of a four-year-old boy who was shot in the head while asleep in his home.
On September 20 shortly before 3am, seven armed individuals jumped out of two stolen cars and fired 84 bullets into four occupied homes on a residential street in Charlotte, North Carolina, according to court documents reviewed by the Daily Mail.
Four-year-old Caleb Flax was struck in the head by one of the bullets. He was rushed to a hospital but pronounced dead four hours later. An adult woman named Kaley Collins was also critically injured but survived.
An additional nine adults and five children were inside the homes at the time of the shooting but no one else was killed or wounded, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD).
The department announced on Thursday that it had arrested four teenagers on charges including murder, conspiracy and possession of a stolen vehicle.
A fifth adult man was also arrested and charged as an accessory after the fact for allegedly helping the gunmen dispose of one of the stolen vehicles.
The names of the alleged shooters in custody are Ar’montae Johnson, 16, Jaylen Barber, 16, Antonio Ladson, 17, and Ian Garland, 17. The fifth individual is Terrance Jackson, 22. The teenage suspects are being charged as adults.
‘Caleb should have been safe in his own bed. Instead, his life was ended in an act of unthinkable violence, and another victim was wounded,’ CMPD Chief of Police Estella D Patterson said in a statement.
Four-year-old Caleb Flax was shot in the head while asleep in his Charlotte, North Carolina, home shortly before 3am on September 20
Flax was killed after seven armed individuals jumped out of two stolen cars and fired into occupied buildings on a residential street, according to police
The crime scene outside Flax’s home is pictured with markers over the dozens of shell casings at the scene. Police said at least 84 rounds were fired
‘From the moment this investigation began, our detectives have been relentless in their pursuit of justice for the victims and their families,’ she added.
‘The five arrests announced today are a direct result of that unwavering commitment and we will not rest until every person responsible for this tragedy is brought to justice.’
Arrest affidavits for the suspected murderers show that they were taken into custody after an extensive investigation by police.
The morning after Flax was killed, detectives located one of the stolen vehicles involved in the shooting, a Mercedes-Benz, and observed a handgun magazine in the driver’s seat, according to the court documents.
They contacted the registered owner of the vehicle, who gave them permission to search the car and process it for evidence.
Police downloaded the car’s infotainment system and confirmed from GPS data that it had been at the location of the shooting the prior night.
They were also able to determine that an iPhone had been connected to the stolen vehicle on September 15, five days before the shooting, and that it belonged to Ar’montae Johnson, according to the court documents.
GPS data from the phone showed that Johnson had been at the location where both vehicles involved in the shooting were stolen, the documents said. The second car was a 2018 Infiniti.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief of Police Estella D Patterson said: ‘Caleb should have been safe in his own bed. Instead, his life was ended in an act of unthinkable violence’
Police arrested four teenagers and an adult in connection with Flax’s murder after an in-depth investigation. A bullet hole in one of the houses that was shot up is pictured
Johnson was arrested on September 23. During an interview with police, he allegedly said that he had driven the stolen Mercedes to an Airbnb party on the night of September 19.
At the party, he spoke to several people who said they wanted to shoot up a house in retaliation for a previous shooting, the court documents said.
Johnson allegedly gave them the keys to the stolen Mercedes knowing that the individuals were armed.
Johnson also allegedly said that when the group of shooters returned to the party, they had ditched the stolen Mercedes and Infiniti and came back in a Jeep driven by Antonio Ladson.
Ladson was arrested on September 25. When police searched his home, they located a Glock 27 in the attic chambered with the same kind of rounds as some of those located at the scene of the shooting.
Detectives went through Johnson’s phone records and discovered that he had a text exchange with Jaylen Barber on the night of the shooting.
Barber was arrested on September 29. When questioned by police, he allegedly admitted to leaving the Airbnb party in the stolen Infiniti and participating in the shooting.
Both Barber and Johnson allegedly told police that Ian Garland was the driver of the stolen Mercedes during the shooting. Garland was arrested on September 30.
The teenagers were arrested on charges including murder, conspiracy and possession of a stolen vehicle. Flax is pictured as a toddler
The only adult arrested so far, Terrance Jackson, 22, was charged with accessory after the fact for allegedly helping dispose of one of the stolen vehicles used in the shooting
The account of the night’s events given by the teenagers during their police interviews was corroborated by extensive surveillance footage, according to their affidavits.
Terrance Jackson, the adult who was arrested and charged with accessory after the fact, was arrested on September 29. He allegedly helped Johnson reprogram a key for the stolen Infiniti and secured a buyer for the car in South Carolina.
Johnson allegedly drove the Infiniti to the buyer and sold the car for $1,200 before splitting the money with Jackson, who has previous arrests on record for stolen vehicle offenses.
The remaining individuals allegedly involved in Flax’s murder have not yet been arrested. CMPD described the investigation as ‘active and ongoing’ and urged the public to share any relevant information.
