Police arrested two men in the killing of a 2-year-old boy who was shot while being pushed in a stroller by his mother in Langley Park, Maryland, Thursday evening.
Jeremy Poou-Caceres and his mother were shot about 5:35 p.m. in the 1400 block of Kanawah Street. 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.
“I have a small infant who’s been shot,” the detective radioed in.
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. She will survive her injuries, police said.
With the help of numerous tips from the community, police identified 33-year-old Israel Fuentes Jr. and 28-year-old Johnny Alejandro Turcios — both of Lewisdale — as suspects and took them into custody, police said. Both are charged with first-degree murder and related charges.
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“The dedicated detectives who are assigned to this case haven’t been home since the murder," Asst. Chief Vernon Hale III said. "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."
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.
"This investigation is far from over," Hale said. "We will not stop until everyone involved in this murder is in custody.”
Cellphone video of the aftermath of the shooting shows a chaotic scene. The courtyard of an apartment complex is crowded with people, including children.
“That young baby did not deserve to die because someone wants to come out here and play with guns,” Hale said Thursday night. "Bullets come down, and they have real consequences."
A photo shared with News4 by a woman who was once the little boy's nanny shows a child with brown hair and brown eyes wearing a Minions sweatshirt. She said she was distraught when she learned he had been killed.
“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.”
At the apartment complex Friday evening, many people said they were staying indoors and keeping their children close. Some spoke about crime and gang activity and said they want a greater security presence and more surveillance cameras.
“This one hits hard and this one hits at home,” Prince George’s County Council member Wanika Fisher said. “I think I’ve been emotional since yesterday about this and I think everyone in my community is.”
Anyone with potentially relevant information about the killing is asked to contact police.
Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.
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