LANCASTER, Calif.—A 29-year-old man pleaded not guilty Jan. 22 to murder and other charges stemming from the alleged road-rage shooting death of a 4-year-old boy in Lancaster.
Byron Burkhart is charged with 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 charges include an allegation that he personally used a handgun in commission of the crime.
During his arraignment at the Antelope Valley Courthouse, the judge set a Feb. 15 court date to schedule a preliminary hearing.
Mr. Burkhart—who faces a maximum sentence of life in prison—was being held in lieu of $2 million bail, court officials said.
A second suspect who was arrested in connection with the shooting, 27-year-old Alexandria Gentile, was not charged. Jail records show she was released from custody. Prosecutors identified her as Mr. Burkhart’s girlfriend.
Mr. Burkhart is charged in connection with the shooting that occurred about 7:30 p.m. Dec. 15 in the area of Sierra Highway and East Avenue J, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Investigators said a driver cut off a vehicle that contained the boy, identified as Gor Adamyan, along with his father and his mother. The driver of the suspect vehicle then began following the family on local streets, eventually pulling alongside the passenger side of the victims’ vehicle and opening fire, officials said. Prosecutors said eight shots were fired.
The boy was sitting in the back seat and was struck by gunfire in the upper body. The parents rushed him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, a camera in the victims’ vehicle captured images of the suspect vehicle’s license plate. Sheriff’s officials said investigators located the suspects’ vehicle in the immediate area of the shooting and arrested the man and woman on suspicion of murder.
A GoFundMe page established on behalf of the boy’s family had raised more than $87,683 as of Monday.
According to the page, the family was heading to a store to purchase groceries when the shooting unfolded.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents the Lancaster area, condemned the boy’s killing.
“This young boy’s death is shocking,” she said in a statement following the shooting. “A family is now inexplicably left without a child that meant everything to them. Our roadways are no place for this type of random and unacceptable violence. I want the suspects apprehended for this heinous murder to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
“I also want to thank the law enforcement professionals who acted quickly, arrested the suspects, and took them off the community’s streets. We cannot tolerate acts of violence like this one.”
The District Attorney’s Office has denied reports that Mr. Burkhart had been recently booked on suspicion of a weapons violation but released under the county’s zero-bail policy.
“This report is false,” according to the office.
