DETROIT, Mich. (WXYZ) — Two men have been charged in connection to a shooting at a park that killed a 4-year-old boy and an 18-year-old man dead.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said Brandon Lee Ware, 18, and William McKinley Wheeler, 19, are charged with two counts of first-degree murder, one count of assault with intent to murder and more.
The shooting on June 27 at Skinner Playfield near Denby High School
Watch Tiarra Braddock's and Ryan Marshall's full reports in the video player below
Samir Grubbs, 4, was shot and killed on June 27 at Skinner Playfield near Denby High School
"Please, please put the guns down, it's so senseless, it doesn't make any sense," said Jasmine Grubbs, Samir's mother.
"It's so senseless, you took my baby from me," Grubbs said.
Grubbs says her son was full of life and was getting ready to start pre-K.
"Samir's smile lights up the room no matter where we went, everybody gravitating toward him," Grubbs said.
"He loved to go to church, loved to go to the park, that's his thing, he wanted to go to church," she added.
Two other people at the park were also shot – a 17-year-old and 18-year-old Daviyon Shelmonson-Bey, who died from his injuries.
"He loved photography, he loved working on mini bikes, he self taught, he was just a very helpful little guy that's all I knew him for," said Joseph Shelmonson-Bey, Daviyon's father.
Joseph was told his son jumped in front of a bullet to save someone from being shot at the park.
"He reacted to protect somebody, something I probably would have did," Joseph said.
Both Joseph and Jasmine are calling for justice for their sons as police continue to look for the shooter.
"We need to speak up in our community to make it better... so we don't have to worry about our kids going through even more of this bloodshed in the community," Joseph said.
"You're taking children away from loving families, families that treat then right, families that care for them," Grubbs said.
“In this day and age of social media and electronics when less children are playing outside, it is refreshing when children want to go outside and enjoy one of their local parks. Because of the alleged criminal actions of the now charged defendants in this case, a precious four-year-old is dead and another wounded," Worthy said in a statement. “This is truly an America tragedy and hopefully it is not one that will have a chilling effect on children simply wanting to play outdoors."
Both suspects were arraigned on Saturday and remanded to Wayne County Jail.
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