Two teens have been arrested in connection with a drive-by shooting that killed a 6-year-old boy in northeast Miami-Dade last weekend, authorities said Wednesday.
Leonard Adams, 18, and Irwen Pressley, 17, have been arrested in the Saturday afternoon shooting of King Carter, Miami-Dade Police said.
Both face charges of second-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder, and are being held without bond.
Police said they issued several warrants Wednesday morning and that people were being interviewed at the homicide bureau.
The arrests were announced at a news conference Wednesday afternoon with Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez and Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle.
"This is a tragic crime and something we will not tolerate in Miami-Dade County," Mayor Gimenez said.
King Carter was killed last weekend after gunfire erupted outside his apartment complex, located in the 1200 block of Northeast 103rd Lane.
Carter was playing outside with friends when witnesses say two men got out of a car and started shooting. The men got back into the car while a third man drove away, witnesses said.
Police said Carter was not the intended target. According to an arrest report, Adams and Pressley got into a dispute on social media with a person known as "Ju Ju."
The men drove to the apartment complex where they found "Ju Ju" and started shooting at him, the report said.
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"Ju Ju" returned fire, hitting Adams in the neck. Adams and Pressley fled the scene in the car.
According to the report, Carter was hit in the chest by a bullet during the gunfire.
Carter's father said before the arrests one of the suspects called him.
"Saying how sorry he was, he was going to turn himself into the jail," Santonio Carter said.
In a phone interview with NBC 6 Wednesday morning, Carter's mother said she was "feeling a bit better right now" after learning that people had been detained in the shooting.
She said the family is preparing to bury the child this weekend.
Several rallies have been held since Carter's death with community members pleading for witnesses to come forward. A reward of $25,000 was offered for information leading to an arrest in the boy's death.
At Wednesday's news conference, police said the investigation is ongoing and they're still looking for other subjects. Police said they're also looking for a vehicle, possibly an early 2000s model black Lexus that may have bullet holes.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.
Miami-Dade Police Department Director Juan Perez released the following statement:
"Although I cannot be present for this moment, know that my thoughts and prayers are with little King and his family. I am proud of the men and women of the Miami-Dade Police Department for their effort during this investigation. I want to also thank the state attorneys who worked alongside the investigators. Hopefully, their collaboration has brought a semblance of peace to the family of little King. Unfortunately, this is not a victory by any stretch of the imagination as we lost an innocent life. I want to thank the community for standing with us and supporting our work during these difficult times."
