LAKELAND, Fla. — A 3-year-old riding in the back seat of a car with his mother died after a shooting at an apartment complex in Lakeland Monday night.
“As they approached the car she screamed, 'my kids are in the car, my kids are in the car,'” said Lakeland Police Chief, Sam Taylor.
Lakeland Police said they were called to the area of the 1800 block of Cambridge Cove Circle, where Cambridge Cove and Kathleen Pointe Apartment Homes are located, after multiple reports of a shooting.
According to Lakeland PD, officers arrived on the scene two minutes after the first call and found four people in a 2023 Toyota RAV4.
The victims in the SUV included Jaquez Norton, 3, who was shot dead in the back seat; Robert Einzig, 23, in the front seat with a non-life threatening gunshot wound; Yeimarie Baez, 21, the 3-year-old's mother was the driver and was uninjured along with a 3-month-old baby girl who also wasn't injured.
Lakeland Police said the shooting happened as Einzig and Baez were driving out of an apartment complex they had been visiting. Police said a 2014 white Dodge Challenger blocked their path when two people got out of the front seats of the challenger.
The man who got out of the passenger side of the Challenger, Kemarius Wilson, 22, was armed along with the driver who got out of the car.
Police said words were exchanged, and then gunshots were fired. According to Lakeland PD, Einzig was also armed and fired back at the two suspects while Baez grabbed the three-month-old baby and ran from the car.
“We have rounds that went through the front windshield, through the front passenger seat. That's where they struck the 3-year-old who was sitting in the back seat behind the passenger seat,” Taylor said.
A total of 28 spent shells were found by police at the scene.
Neighbor Melissa Flores said she was outside when she noticed a white car that looked suspicious.
“We started hearing the gun shots. That's when we ran inside and came back out when they stopped. We just saw everyone crying. It was very sad,” Flores said.
After the shooting, the Challenger drove away from the scene. Police said at 7 p.m., Wilson was dropped off at Lakeland Regional Health and was declared dead.
Lakeland PD said the 2014 Challenger used in the shooting was found on a nearby street and was being processed by detectives along with the RAV4 the victims were in.
“We feel like they knew each other. We have a pretty good reason. It wasn’t just a random act. They were interested in that vehicle and the people inside that vehicle,” Taylor said.
Police said they were looking for the Dodge Challenger driver and asked anyone with information to call Lakeland Police at 863-834-6900 or Heartland Crime Stoppers at 800-226-8477.
