Crime & Safety

UPDATED: 'Cowards' Kill 9-Month-Old in 'Insane' Shooting

Kendarius Edwards, 9 months old, was killed when gunmen broke into a Stone Mountain house and shot three women, as well as the baby.

Neighbors commenting on a shooting that killed a 9-month-old baby this weekend call the suspects “cowards” and police call the crime “insane.”

During a home breakin Saturday night, 9-month-old Kendarius Edwards was killed and the women who locked themselves inside a bathroom were injured, one critically, reports WSB TV. Police said the gunmen hunted them down before opening fire.

According to police, the baby was shot three to four times at point-blank range, says WGCL TV.

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The shooting was part of a violent home invasion that put three women into the hospital, including the boy's mother and grandmother. Police suspect the attack was retaliation for the murder of Alexis Malone, 19.

Investigators also suspect Malone's friend, Kayla Dixon is somehow involved in her murder and have issued a warrant for her arrest, the TV station says.

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“It’s complicated,” said DeKalb Police Chief Cedric Alexander. “It’s insane. It’s insane.”
 
“Masked gunman came into the home. The three women took the baby, ran upstairs, tried to lock themselves in the upstairs bathroom. The gunmen kicked the door open and commenced firing,” Alexander said.
 
The victims’ names were not released. The women are 36, 23, and 21, police said. The 21-year-old is thought to have been the baby’s mother.
 
Detectives said at least five weekend shootings were connected. But the fight that started the crimes happened with a murder on May 3 when Michael Phillips, 29, was shot and killed during a party.
 
Police arrested Kemontay Cullins, 18, in Phillips’ shooting.
 
Detectives said they are looking for 16-year-old Cutrez Johnson and 19-year-old Oslushla Smith in this weekend’s shooting. Both are wanted for murder and are considered armed and dangerous.
 
Alexander said the home invasion came about five hours after authorities got an anonymous call saying that a woman’s body could be found on Agape Way in DeKalb. That victim was Alexis Malone, 19, who police said witnessed the May 3 killing. They are also looking for another possible witness to the fatal shooting.
 
Police said they do not know if a drive-by shooting Saturday evening that left two men dead and three other people wounded is connected. That case happened around 7 p.m. on Shamrock Drive, south of Decatur, where a car followed another car and then occupants of the second vehicle opened fire, the TV station says.
 
One man and two women were also wounded in that attack.

Anyone with information in the shooting is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS (8477). You don't have to give your name, you could be eligible for a reward.


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