The distraught parents of a four-year-old boy shot dead in their car have demanded to know why the gunman was free to kill after two recent arrests.
Convicted felon Byron Burkhart appeared in a Los Angeles court on Tuesday charged with the murder of Gor Adamyan who died in a hail of bullets during a road rage attack on Friday.
The little boy had begged his parents to take him to the grocery store before they crossed paths with Burkhart, 29, and his girlfriend Alexandria Gentile, 27, on the Sierra Highway in Lancaster.
His parents say they saw Gentile hand Burkhart the gun before he shot at least eight times at their car, fatally injuring Gor in the back seat.
But Gentile has been released without charge and the LA District Attorney is facing questions amid claims that Burkhart had been released from jail just day’s earlier under the county’s zero-bail policy.
Four-year-old Gor Adamyan was shot dead during a California road rage shooting on Friday night after begging his parents to take him with them on their trip to the grocery store
Byron Burkhart appeared in a Los Angeles court on Tuesday charged with Gor’s murder
‘This particular suspect was in custody a week ago for a gun-related felony and they had to let him go because of the new bail laws,’ Lancaster Mayor Rex Parris told KTLA 5.
‘What did we expect? Did we really think our children weren’t going to be the victims of this? Because they are.’
Police say the the family was suddenly cut off by Burkhart at around 7.30pm before he pursued them through surface streets, finally pulling up alongside their car and firing inside.
During the incident, the suspect driver cut them off and then began following them through several surface streets,’ the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department said.
‘While being pursued by the suspects, the victim driver slowed his vehicle, at which time the suspect driver pulled up along the passenger side of the victim’s car and began shooting.’
Family spokesman Miguel Coronado from Agents of Change said that mother Meri Adamyan and father Levon Tantushyan were uninjured, but a bullet hit Gor in the torso, while he was sitting in the back seat.
‘Mom, I’m hurt,’ he told her.
‘They turned around and saw that his organs had exploded,’ Coronado added.
Those working in nearby businesses heard gunshot ring out and rushed to help but sadly the youngster died from his injuries early the next day.
‘His father and mother, who were in the vehicle, immediately transported him to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased,’ the sheriff’s office said.
‘On that fateful day, as Gor’s parents were en route to purchase groceries, an encounter with a suspect driver escalated into an unthinkable tragedy,’ a GoFundMe page read.
‘Gor Adamyan succumbed to his injuries on Friday night, just ten days before Christmas, leaving his family utterly devastated,’ the post read.
‘Gor was just a happy, regular little boy. He loved trucks, stuffed animals, just a very upbeat child who loved his mom and dad, loved his family,’ Coronado said.
Dashcam footage from the family’s car caught Burkhart’s license plate and the couple were traced to a nearby hotel where they were arrested hours later.
Coronado said Burkhart had been arrested repeatedly by the Lancaster Sheriff’s Department and should not have been on the streets.
‘He’s a historical criminal, he’s a domestic terrorist, that’s what he is,’ the spokesman added.
‘The woman was the one who handed him the gun, the mother told me directly.’
The office of LA DA George Gascon has denied that Burkhart was released on zero bail after a gun incident, but has yet to explain the reasons for his arrests in February and November of last year.
‘We are aware of false reports circulating that Byron Burkhart was recently booked on suspicion of a gun-related incident and was released on the Los Angeles County Superior Court’s zero bail policy,’ a spokesman said.
‘This report is false.’
Gentile was released on Tuesday afternoon, and Burkhart is scheduled to be arraigned on January 22 on a $5.075 million bail.
He faces 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.
Coronado says the Adamyans had recently moved from Glendale to Lancaster in search of a better life.
‘The Christmas trees, and the presents and the food – all of that is meaningless because they don’t have their child,’ he added.
‘This isn’t going to be the last four-year-old that’s shot down,’ Parris said.
‘I mean, the reality is that people have to be held accountable when they commit the lower-end crimes.’
Lancaster Mayor Rex Parris has claimed that Burkhart was free to kill because of zero-bail laws
The shooting occurred when the family were suddenly cut off the driver on Sierra Highway near East Avenue J in Lancaster
At least 284 children aged 11 or younger have been killed in shootings this year across the US, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
‘Our hearts ache for the tragic loss of a young life in such a devastating and senseless act of road rage,’ Gascón said in a statement.
‘A family is facing unimaginable pain during what should be a joyous time this holiday season.’
Dailymail.com has reached out to the DA’s office for more information.