Jeremy Poou-Caceres, Langley Park, Maryland toddler shot dead while being pushed by his mother during crossfire. Israel Fuentes Jr. and Johnny Alejandro Turcios arrested as men fired off gunshots during gang dispute.
Maryland authorities have arrested two men in connection to the killing of a 2-year-old toddler boy who was fatally shot while being pushed in a stroller by his mother, during a crossfire involving gang members, Thursday evening.
Jeremy Poou-Caceres and his mother were shot about 5:35 p.m. in the 1400 block of Kanawah Street, in Langley Park, MD. A detective in the area heard gunfire and went to the scene, finding a young mother and child suffering from gunshot wounds in a courtyard, Prince George’s County police said.
Wrong place, wrong time…
‘I have a small infant who’s been shot,’ the detective radioed in, NBC Washington reported.
Paramedics soon arrived and rushed the boy to Children’s National Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The child’s mother was taken to a D.C. hospital. The woman was expected to survive, cops said.
Israel Fuentes Jr., 33 and Johnny Alejandro Turcios, 28, — both of Lewisdale — were taken into custody on Friday. The two men’s arrest came with the help of the community and an influx of tips identifying the suspects, police said. Both are charged with first-degree murder and related charges.
‘The dedicated detectives who are assigned to this case haven’t been home since the murder,’ Asst. Chief Vernon Hale III said during a Friday press conference. ‘They have worked with fierce determination to identify those responsible for taking the life of this innocent child. We hope these two arrests provide some comfort to Jeremy’s grieving family.’
‘A child is dead; a mother is shot and won’t get to raise that baby,’
The suspects were with two other men in a stolen car that had been carjacked Wednesday. They were shooting at another group of people, and Jeremy and his mother were struck in the exchange of gunfire, police said.
‘When you think about the chain of victims from the original carjacking to the shooting victims to the officer sitting there giving CPR to a 2-year-old with blood on his hands to what other crimes they committed in between to the life of this young mother without her child for the rest of her life, she won’t get sleep every night, either,’ Hale said.
‘And this happens when we think these are just property crimes, when we think people are just doing these things because they’re hungry or whatever that may be, it creates trauma. A lot of levels for a lot of people. We’ve got to put the guns down.’
Police tracked down the unoccupied stolen car and found a weapon they believe was used in the shooting. They later arrested Fuentes and Turcios. They continue to look for other people involved in the shooting.
‘That young baby did not deserve to die because someone wants to come out here and play with guns,’ Hale reiterated. ‘Bullets come down, and they have real consequences.’
‘A child is dead; a mother is shot and won’t get to raise that baby,’ Hale said. ‘That baby won’t get to be a future PG police officer and live his best life.’
The shooting led to residents of a nearby apartment complex saying crime and gang activity continues to pervade the community as they seek a greater security presence and more surveillance cameras.
Welcome to a brave new bold America…
