A 2-year-old boy from Baltimore has miraculously survived after being shot in the stomach during a disturbing road rage incident over the weekend. Suspect Javon Johnson allegedly shot little Ka'si after growing angry at the driver of his vehicle for going around several cars to make a turn. Authorities say Johnson pursued the car, and in a "cowardly, violent act," fired shots into the vehicle in retaliation.
The incident happened around 12:30 a.m. Saturday, as Johnson and the driver of the other car were stopped at an intersection.
The light soon turned green, but no one in the line of cars waiting — including Johnson — began to move, according to ABC News. This caused the driver of the toddler's car, his grandmother, to honk the horn several times, but to no avail.
Ka'si's grandmother allegedly continued honking through the green light, until she decided to drive around the vehicles and make a turn.
This move, however, seemingly enraged Johnson.
"What we believe is the driver of the first car at the light [Johnson] followed and caught up to the victim’s vehicle and fired from his vehicle into the victim’s vehicle, striking the child,” Police Commissioner Michael Harrison told the New York Post.
Ka'si was taken straight to a hospital where he was treated for his wound.
Police issued a $15,000 reward looking for the driver of the vehicle who fired the shots, noting that the person drove a silver Mazda MPV.
It didn't take long for police to narrow in on Johnson, who was arrested later on Saturday.
He is being held at the Central Booking and Intake Facility in Baltimore and is being charged with attempted murder, assault, and various handgun related charges, according to a post on the Baltimore Police Department's Facebook page. He was formally charged on Monday.
Although it's unclear whether Johnson was even aware that a child was in the vehicle at the time, Harrison said it didn't matter. He condemned the man's alleged actions saying, "You shot a child. Whoever you thought you were shooting at, you didn't shoot," according to an interview with Yahoo! News.
Luckily, Harrison added that the boy is in "somewhat stable condition and is expected to survive."
Ka'si's aunt is also speaking out about the incident and shared her immense grief.
Ka'si's aunt, Chiquaia Gamble, took to Facebook on Monday and shared that her nephew is "such a strong and brilliant boy and he is my whole heart."
She condemned Johnson for taking his anger out on a small boy. "A grown ass man with a lack of patience shot my nephew," she continued. "This hurts I mean this really hurts and there’s nothing no one can say or do to make things better … at two years old my nephew could’ve been in the dirt and my sister is traumatized thinking she could [have done] something more to protect her son when she couldn’t."
His mother also told WBFF that Ka'si has already had one surgery and is expected to be okay after his treatment. Still, his family is hurting and is calling for an end to gun violence.
“I’m tired of this. We’re tired of this. I’m hurt, we’re hurt. So, could we please just put the guns down,“ Gamble pleaded.
