Toddler Shot To Death During Birthday Party, Suspect At Large

A 3-year-old boy was shot and killed at a child’s birthday party in South Florida, Miami-Dade Police Department said Sunday, April 25. Another woman was reported to be injured in the shooting.

Officers from the Miami-Dade Police reported to a home near North Miami Avenue and Northeast 158th Street on Saturday night, after receiving reports of shots being fired.

Upon arrival, investigators found Elijah LaFrance and a 21-year-old woman, unresponsive with gunshot wounds.

Both victims were rushed to a nearby hospital. The child was later pronounced dead. The woman’s injuries were reported to be non-life-threatening. She is expected to recover soon.

According to the police, an altercation that occurred outside the home elevated and resulted in the fatal shooting. The suspect then fled the home which was rented out for a birthday party, Associated Press reported.

The police have not yet identified a suspect. The motive behind the slaying is also unclear at this time.

It is also not known whether the deceased child and the injured woman were related.

This is an ongoing investigation and no further details were available at the time of this writing.

Police have initiated a manhunt for the shooter. Authorities are urging anyone with information about the shooting to contact Crimestoppers at (305) 471-8477.

In a similar incident, a man fatally shot his pregnant wife and her toddler son before turning the gun on himself. The apparent murder-suicide happened Sunday, April 18, at a home in Arkansas.

23-year-old Paiden Nicole Priest, and her 2-year-old son, Grayson Alexander Beckham, were found dead with gunshot wounds.

The suspect, David Priest, was found unresponsive inside the home with a gunshot injury, which police believe were self-inflicted. He was transported to a nearby hospital. He later succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.

The deceased woman was in the third trimester of her pregnancy. David is not the father of the deceased toddler. A neighbor of the family recalled that they had always been "nice" and "sweet."