CHARLOTTE, N.C. (THECOUNT) — Four teenagers have been charged as adults with murder in the shooting death of Caleb Flax, 4, after at least 84 rounds were fired into multiple occupied homes in northwest Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, according to police and court documents.
The suspects are Ar’montae Johnson, 16, Antonio Ladson, 17, Jaylen Barber, 16, and Ian Garland, 17. Each faces a murder charge in connection with Caleb’s death. The teenagers also face charges including attempted murder, shooting into an occupied dwelling and conspiracy to commit a felony, according to arrest records reported by WBTV.
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The deadly shooting occurred around 3 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 20, along Grassy Patch Lane near Auten Road. Police said seven armed suspects got out of two stolen vehicles and opened fire on four occupied homes and three parked vehicles before fleeing the neighborhood.
Caleb was struck by a gunshot and transported to Levine Children’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at about 7:15 a.m. The child suffered a gunshot wound to the head. An adult victim was also wounded and hospitalized with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
Investigators said the shooting appears to have been carried out as retaliation for an earlier shooting. During a court hearing Thursday, prosecutors said Garland’s home was the intended target, but the gunmen mistakenly fired on a home two doors away.
The investigation began to develop after detectives discovered that an iPhone had been paired with the infotainment system of a stolen Mercedes-Benz on Sept. 15. Police later traced the phone to Johnson, who was arrested Sept. 23 and charged with murder.
According to court documents, the Mercedes was parked along Bryant Terrace Drive near Wilkinson Boulevard on Saturday, Sept. 19, before being taken to an Airbnb gathering. Police said Johnson told detectives that several people at the gathering discussed shooting at windows as retaliation for another shooting.
Investigators allege Johnson knowingly provided the keys to the stolen Mercedes while aware that members of the group were armed.
Around 12:30 a.m. Sunday, the Mercedes left Bryant Terrace Drive and stopped at a 7-Eleven on Wilkinson Boulevard. Surveillance footage reportedly showed the driver paying cash for gasoline while wearing a gray-and-black hoodie. Police later recovered a matching hoodie inside the Mercedes.
Just before 3 a.m., the Mercedes and a stolen Infiniti arrived along Grassy Patch Lane with their headlights off. Court documents say seven armed suspects then exited the vehicles and fired at least 84 rounds into the neighborhood.
Traffic cameras captured the vehicles near Sunset Road and Beatties Ford Road at approximately 3:01 a.m. Police said the suspects later abandoned both vehicles and returned to the Airbnb in a Jeep.
Johnson was arrested Wednesday, Sept. 23. Ladson was arrested Friday, Sept. 25. Barber was arrested Tuesday, Sept. 29, and Garland was arrested Wednesday, Sept. 30. The four teenagers are being prosecuted as adults.
Johnson faces additional charges involving stolen motor vehicles, including possession of a stolen motor vehicle and two counts of larceny of a motor vehicle. Ladson also faces a charge of accessory after the fact.
Police said the investigation remains active because seven people are believed to have participated in the shooting. Authorities have not publicly identified all seven alleged shooters.
Also arrested in connection with the case was Terrance Jackson Jr., 22, who police say did not pull the trigger but allegedly helped dispose of the stolen Infiniti used as a getaway vehicle. Jackson was charged with accessory after the fact to murder.
According to an arrest affidavit, one of the teenage suspects contacted Jackson after the shooting about reprogramming a key for the abandoned Infiniti. Investigators allege Jackson arranged for the vehicle to be sold in Bishopville, South Carolina, and drove his girlfriend’s vehicle as an escort while the teen drove the Infiniti there.
Police said the Infiniti was sold for $1,200 and that the proceeds were split between Jackson and the teen. Jackson was arrested Sept. 29.
The deadly gunfire left Caleb’s family grieving while investigators continued working to establish the roles of everyone involved. Police have asked anyone with information about the shooting or the remaining suspects to contact Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police.
Grassy Patch Lane is in northwest Charlotte, in Mecklenburg County, north of central Charlotte and near the Beatties Ford Road and Auten Road areas.
Google Maps: Grassy Patch Lane, Charlotte, NC
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