Four teenagers have been arrested in connection with the murder of a four-year-old boy who was shot in the head as he slept inside his Charlotte, North Carolina, home.
Court documents reviewed by the Daily Mail say seven armed people emerged from two stolen vehicles shortly before 3am on September 20 and fired 84 rounds at four occupied homes on a residential street.
One of the bullets struck four-year-old Caleb Flax in the head. He was taken to hospital but was pronounced dead four hours later. An adult woman, Kaley Collins, was also critically wounded but survived.
Nine other adults and five children were inside the homes during the shooting. According to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD), no one else was killed or injured.
CMPD announced on Thursday that four teenagers had been arrested on charges including murder, conspiracy and possession of a stolen vehicle.
A fifth suspect, a 22-year-old man, was arrested and charged with being an accessory after the fact. He is accused of helping the gunmen get rid of one of the stolen cars.
The teenagers in custody have been identified as Ar’montae Johnson, 16, Jaylen Barber, 16, Antonio Ladson, 17, and Ian Garland, 17. They are being prosecuted as adults. The fifth suspect is Terrance Jackson, 22.
“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
Police say Flax was killed after seven armed people emerged from two stolen vehicles and opened fire on occupied homes along a residential street
Markers show dozens of shell casings outside Flax’s home. Police said at least 84 rounds were fired during the attack
“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 indicate that the suspected killers were identified and taken into custody following an extensive police investigation.
The morning after Caleb Flax was killed, detectives found one of the vehicles allegedly used in the shooting—a Mercedes-Benz. A handgun magazine was visible in the driver’s seat, according to court documents.
Investigators contacted the vehicle’s registered owner, who gave them permission to search the car and process it for evidence.
Police extracted data from the Mercedes-Benz’s infotainment system and found GPS information showing that the vehicle had been at the shooting scene the previous night.
The investigation also found that an iPhone had connected to the stolen vehicle on September 15, five days before the shooting. Court documents said the phone belonged to Ar’montae Johnson.
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GPS records from the phone placed Johnson at the location where both vehicles used in the attack had been stolen, the documents said. The second vehicle 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.