Authorities in California have identified the road rager who killed a 4-year-old boy in the back seat of his parents’ car last week.
Byron Burkhart, 29, is 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, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement released on Tuesday.
As CrimeOnline reported, deputies responded to the call about the shooting on Friday evening and found the suspect vehicle. They took Burkhart and his 27-year-old girlfriend into custody at the time, but the girlfriend was released on Tuesday and has not been charged, ABC News reported.
KABC identified the boy as Gor Adamyan. A spokesperson for the boy’s family told the station that she and the family are outraged by the shooting.
“Fight against this violence and killing … stop murdering and shooting,” she said. “We want our kids to go to school and come back safely … go play outside and come back safely. Like, drive or go to the market or visit friends [and] come back safely.”
Gascón said that Burkhart allegedly cut off the Adamyans’ vehilce as they were traveling along Sierra Highway in Lancaster and afterward “engaged in aggressive driving maneuvers and road rage” before pulling up alongside the victims’ vehicle and firing eight shots into it. The boy was struck once. His parents were not hit by gunfire, and they rushed him to a hospital, where he ded.
The victims’ dash camera capture Burkhart’s license plate, allowing deputies to easily track him down.
Burkhart is due in court for his arraignment on January 22, 2024, when prosecutors plan to ask for a $5.075 million bail.
The district attorney’s office also said that a statement from Lancaster Mayor Rex Parris to KTLA — that Burkhart was arrested a week ago on gun charges and let go “because of the new bail laws” — is false.
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[Featured image: Gor Adamyan/GoFundMe]
