Man charged with murder in road rage shooting of Armenian boy in California
A California man has been charged with murder in a road rage shooting in which he opened fire on an Armenian family driving to buy groceries, killing a 4-year-old boy in the back seat, NBC News reported, citing prosecutors.
Byron Burkhart, 29, was charged with one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder, one count of shooting at an occupied vehicle and five counts of possession of a firearm by a felon, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday.
The shooting happened Friday when Burkhart was driving with his girlfriend and allegedly cut off the victims’ vehicle while driving on part of Sierra Highway in Lancaster, in northern Los Angeles County, prosecutors said.
Inside that car was a mother, father and their 4-year-old son, identified by the Los Angeles County medical examiner as Gor Adamyan.
Burkhart allegedly “engaged in aggressive driving maneuvers and road rage,” prosecutors said.
An online fundraiser to support the family said Burkhart allegedly cut off the Adamyan family’s vehicle, initiated a pursuit through streets, then pulled up and started shooting.
He fired eight shots into the car, the district attorney’s office said.
Gor was struck once in the back seat. His parents were not hit in the barrage of bullets, according to officials.
The child was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died, prosecutors said.
Gor’s family’s car had a camera that allegedly captured Burkhart’s vehicle license plate during the shooting, the DA's news release said.
District Attorney George Gascón called the shooting a "senseless act of road rage," adding, "A family is facing unimaginable pain during what should be a joyous time this holiday season."
Burkhart is being held on $2 million bond and will be arraigned Jan. 22.
If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Los Angeles County Public Defender's Office spokesperson Dana Boldt said Thursday: "Like anyone charged with a crime, Mr. Burkhardt is presumed innocent and entitled to a vigorous defense."
"We are sensitive to the intense public interest this matter has generated, but caution everyone against a rush to judgment until all the facts are established in a court of law," Boldt added.