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3-Year-Old Fla. Boy Killed by Stray Bullet in Living Room While Playing in Front of Grandmother

Orange County Sheriff's Office

Florida authorities have offered a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to an arrest in connection with the drive-by shooting death of a 3-year-old boy.

On Sept. 22, Daquane Felix, Jr. was playing inside his living room when a burst of gunfire sprayed his home. A stray bullet struck and killed the boy, who had celebrated his birthday 10 days earlier.

A woman began yelling, “They killed my baby,” according to a report from Orlando TV station News6. The family told the station they assumed it was a drive-by because they heard a car drive off immediately after the gunfire.

“How can you come to someone’s house and do this? How?,” the boy’s grandmother Veronica Felix told News6. “If they’ve got any conscience, they should turn themselves in because my grandbaby ain’t coming back no more and he was only 3. He did not deserve this."

WFTV reports Felix was home at the time of the shooting.

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The Orange County Sheriff Office’s twitter account posted information about the reward, which started at $5,000 but increased to $20,000 with contributions from the Florida Sheriffs Association and Crimeline Florida.

“Someone knows who is responsible for little Daquane’s death,” the sheriff's office tweeted. “Help us take them off the streets.”

The toddler’s death occurred less than 24 hours after a teenaged boy was shot to death in another drive-by shooting, officials told the Orlando Sentinel newspaper.

Orange County Sheriff's Office Denis Atkinson

Shortly after 11 p.m. on Sept. 21, law enforcement responded to a shooting where they discovered two victims. Denis Atkinson, 14, was fatally wounded and an unidentified teen was listed as critical, according to another tweet from the sheriff’s office.

During a press conference, Orange County Sheriff John Mina said both shootings were related to a gang feud, the Sentinel reported.

The family of Daquane Felix Jr was devastated and had a message, which they gave to community leader Bishop Kelvin Cobaris to share with reporters.

“Put down the guns,” he stated. “Let’s stop the hate and spread the love.”

Anyone with information is asked to call Crimeline at 800-423-8477.