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 home.
Shortly before 3am on September 20, seven armed people emerged from two stolen vehicles and fired 84 rounds at four occupied homes along a residential street in Charlotte, North Carolina, court documents reviewed by Our News Outlet show.
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, but the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said no one else was killed or injured.
The department announced 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 as an accessory after the fact. He is accused of helping the gunmen get rid of one of the stolen vehicles.
The teenagers in custody have been identified as Ar’montae Johnson, 16, Jaylen Barber, 16, Antonio Ladson, 17, and Ian Garland, 17. The fifth suspect is Terrance Jackson, 22. All four teenagers are being prosecuted 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 sleeping in his Charlotte, North Carolina, home shortly before 3am on September 20
Police said seven armed people opened fire on occupied homes after emerging from two stolen cars, killing Flax
Markers show shell casings outside Flax’s home after police said at least 84 rounds were fired at the residential properties
“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 say the suspected shooters were identified and taken into custody following an extensive investigation by Charlotte-Mecklenburg police.
The morning after the shooting, detectives found one of the stolen vehicles—a Mercedes-Benz allegedly used in the attack. 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 downloaded data from the Mercedes-Benz’s infotainment system and used its GPS records to confirm 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 state that the phone belonged to Ar’montae Johnson.
GPS records from Johnson’s phone showed that he had been at the location where both vehicles used in the shooting were stolen, the documents said. The second vehicle was a 2018 Infiniti.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Estella D Patterson said Caleb “should have been safe in his own bed” before being killed 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.
