A 17-year-old has faced additional charges in connection with the shooting death of four-year-old Caleb Flax in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Ian Garland is accused of being among seven armed people who opened fire on four occupied homes shortly before 3am on September 20. Police say at least 84 rounds were fired after the group arrived in two stolen vehicles.
Flax was struck in the head while asleep at his home on Grassy Patch Lane, about six miles north of downtown Charlotte. He was taken to Levine’s Children’s Hospital but died at 7.18am.
Garland was charged on Monday with six counts of possession of a firearm by a minor, five counts of damage to property, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and two counts of shooting into an occupied dwelling.
He also faces charges of felony conspiracy and attempted larceny of a motor vehicle. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department had previously announced that Garland and three other teenagers were being charged as adults with offences including murder, conspiracy and possession of a stolen vehicle.
The other teenagers named by police are Ar’montae Johnson, 16, Jaylen Barber, 16, and Antonio Ladson, 17. A fifth suspect, 22-year-old Terrance Jackson, was arrested and charged as an accessory after the fact for allegedly helping dispose of one of the stolen cars.
Garland appeared in Mecklenburg District Court and was denied bond by Judge Rex Marvel. He was also ordered not to possess firearms or contact any of his alleged co-defendants.
Police investigation into the Charlotte shooting
An affidavit filed in court says the suspects arrived at the residential street at about 2.55am. Surveillance footage appeared to show each of them carrying a firearm before they allegedly opened fire about a minute later.
The bullets struck four homes and three unoccupied parked vehicles. Police arrived at 3.01am, while nine adults and five juveniles inside the homes were reported to have escaped injury.
A second victim, identified in the affidavit only as “KC”, suffered serious injuries. The nature of those injuries was not disclosed.
Chief of Police Estella D Patterson said Flax “should have been safe in his own bed”. She added: “Instead, his life was ended in an act of unthinkable violence, and another victim was wounded.”
According to the affidavit, the suspects had discussed wanting to “shoot up a house as retaliation” for a shooting at an address on Silver Birch Drive the previous day. The filing alleges that Garland lived on the same street, although not at the address involved.
Johnson allegedly told detectives that “E”, said to be Garland’s nickname, drove a stolen Mercedes-Benz to the scene. Officers later found the vehicle abandoned and discovered a handgun magazine in the driver’s seat.
Police said data downloaded from the Mercedes-Benz’s infotainment system placed it at the location of the shooting. Garland was also allegedly identified in surveillance footage from a 7-Eleven petrol station after the attack.
Garland was arrested on September 30. His scheduled probable cause hearing on October 22 was later cancelled, and a new date had not been issued as of Tuesday afternoon.
Johnson allegedly said the plan was formed at a party on September 19, where he handed the Mercedes-Benz keys to several armed people. The group allegedly abandoned that car and a stolen 2018 Infiniti before returning to the party in a Jeep.
Police said the investigation remained active and ongoing, with other people allegedly involved in Flax’s death yet to be arrested.
