A heartbreaking tragedy in Atlanta has taken an even darker turn after a toddler who was shot while in a babysitter’s care has died — and now two adults are facing serious charges.
Three-year-old Armani Deshawn Lyons was rushed to the hospital after police found him with a gunshot wound to the head inside an apartment on Washington Street SW in the early hours of Easter Sunday. Despite efforts to save him, he was later pronounced dead.
Investigators say Armani was being watched by 71-year-old babysitter Barbara Edwards at the time of the shooting. Authorities later determined there was enough evidence to charge both Edwards and 35-year-old Jermaine Hardeman in connection with the case.
Both suspects are now facing felony murder charges, along with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and cruelty to children.
Edwards has since been taken into custody after officers tracked her down at a home on Landrum Drive. Hardeman, however, is still on the run.
Police have not yet revealed exactly how the shooting happened, but officials made it clear the circumstances are deeply troubling. “Somehow that 3-year-old ends up with a gunshot wound to the head,” an assistant police chief said.
For Armani’s family, the loss is devastating.
“I’m not gonna see him again. No more laughing. No more playing. No more nothing,” his mother said through grief.
A fundraiser set up to help with funeral expenses describes Armani as a joyful, innocent child who brought light to everyone around him. He was just weeks away from turning four.