A 2-year-old boy was shot and killed and his mother was injured outside an apartment complex in the Langley Park area of Prince George's County, Maryland, on Thursday, police say.
Jeremy Poou-Caceres was being pushed in a stroller by his mother when they were shot, police said. The toddler lived in the Chillum area.
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.
The shooting took place in the 1400 block of Kanawah Street. A detective heard gunfire about 5:30 p.m. and went to the area, finding a young mother and child suffering from gunshot wounds in a courtyard on the block, police said.
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“I heard somebody was shooting. We thought it was like a fireworks, but it was not,” one man said.
“I have a small infant who’s been shot,” the detective radioed in.
Cellphone video obtained by News4 of the aftermath of the shooting shows a chaotic scene. The courtyard of an apartment complex is crowded with people, including children.
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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 where she was in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries.
“That young baby did not deserve to die because someone wants to come out here and play with guns,” Asst. Chief Vernon Hale said. "Bullets come down, and they have real consequences. I can only pray that they weren't trying to kill a child, but I don't know at this point."
“We want to express our condolences, our heartfelt condolences, to the family, to the mother that has lost a... child to this senseless act of violence,” said Barry Stanton, the county’s deputy chief administrative officer for public safety.
Multiple people called police to report seeing people shooting in the area.
The circumstances leading up to the shooting were not immediately clear, police said. It is too early to confirm or deny whether it was related to a carjacking.
There was no information released on any suspects.
“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 on Friday evening, many people said they were staying indoors and keeping their children close. Residents described fear in the community, especially as no one had been arrested. Some spoke about crime and gang activity and said they want a greater security presence and more surveillance cameras.
Police initially said Poou-Caceres was 3 years old. They said in an update that he was only 2.
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Anyone with potentially relevant information is asked to contact police. A reward of up to $25,000 is available.
"This isn't about snitching," Hale said. "This is about justice for the victims."
Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.
