A D.C. man is accused of shooting his own father, and police say the man's 2-year-old son saw the whole thing, becoming a key witness for investigators.
Earlier this week, D.C. police officers say they found Darryl Smith suffering from gunshot wounds inside his Navy Yard apartment.
According to a court document, a witness told police that 61-year-old Smith had accused his son, De'Angelo Goldston, of stealing money from his account. That led to an argument over money inside that upscale apartment building, police say.
The document says that Smith generally used a wheelchair, and when police examined that chair, they found a bullet hole. That indicates Smith might have been sitting in the wheelchair when he was shot.
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While officers continued to investigate, the document says, a 2-year-old child inside the apartment came out and told officers: "Daddy shot Pop Pop."
Goldston, 37, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder.
The detectives who learned that child may have witnessed the murder took him to Safe Shores, a child advocacy center and nonprofit where experts interview children who may have witnessed violence.
According to court documents, a police detective listened in as the toddler — described in the documents as Witness 1 — explained what happened inside the apartment.
"At one point Witness 1 stood up and demonstrated the shooting," documents say, "drawing an imaginary gun, pointing it with IT’s finger and said 'pow pow.'"
"Witness 1 stated Pop fell on the floor," the documents say later. "Several times in the interview, Witness 1 stated, 'Papa is dead. My daddy shot Papa.'"
During an interview with police, Goldston said he had been smoking PCP and does not remember shooting his dad.
