A family is in mourning after a toddler was shot and killed in a condo building in Southeast D.C. Wednesday, police said.
It happened in the afternoon on Chester Street SE. A witness says a man ran out of a River Heights Condominium building, saying, "My baby has been shot!"
The child, identified by his mother as Legend King Wheeler, was taken to a hospital where he later died. He was just 20 months old.
"My whole heart just dropped," Legend's grandmother, Tawanda Barber, said. "I'm just going to miss his smile, how he played with everybody."
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A man who was working with a crew to clean out a nearby residence said he ran into the home after hearing screams for help. There he saw a lifeless boy.
“I will never forget this ’til the day I die,” he said. “The day before Thanksgiving, a baby got shot. We’ll never forget about this,” he repeated, shaking his head.
D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee said police are still investigating how the child was shot.
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"This is the holiday season and I can't even begin to imagine what this family is going to be going through," he said.
The gun has not been recovered yet, police said. Investigators don't know if the weapon was taken from the scene, and if so, who took it.
"I don't think we can emphasize how serious an issue the guns are in our communities," Contee said.
This is a breaking story. Stay with NBC Washington for updates.
