LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Lafayette police arrested two people on multiple charges after a 5-year-old fatally shot their 1-year-old sibling.
Around 3 p.m. on March 28, police responded to an apartment in the 500 block of Westchester Lane, near Teal and Old Romney roads, on a report of a child not breathing.
Officers arrived and found a 1-year-old boy dead from a gunshot wound. The Tippecanoe County coroner identified the victim as Isiah Johnson.
According to investigators, the 5-year-old was able to get access to the gun used in the shooting inside the apartment.
Deonta Johnson, 27, of Lafayette, allegedly told police Isiah must have fallen or that the 5-year-old injured Isiah. According to court documents, Deonta denied owning a gun and denied the 1-year-old had been shot. Deonta then allegedly told police the children's mother, 24-year-old Shatia Welch, of Lafayette, had a gun.
When questioned by police, Welch allegedly told officers her gun was kept in a lockbox under the bed, and she had a set of keys and had lost a second set.
According to court documents, a review of surveillance video after the shooting showed Deonta going outside to a car and placing a bag in the car. Police claim they got a search warrant for the car and found marijuana inside.
According to court documents, officers also found a bag with 93 pills in the apartment that tested positive for fentanyl.
Officers said they found the gun safe under a bed and it was locked, but also found a gun in a dresser drawer.
During an autopsy on the 1-year-old child, a toxicology report showed marijuana was in their blood.
A hair sample for the 5-year-old allegedly found cocaine in his system.
Shortly before 3 p.m. on July 24, La Porte City police officers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle and arrested Deonta and Welch on charges related to the March 28 incident.
Lafayette police said Deonta and Welch, who are the children's parents, are awaiting extradition back to Tippecanoe County. La Porte County is roughly 80 miles north of Tippecanoe County.
Deonta and Welch have been charged with neglect resulting in death, two counts of neglect, neglect resulting in bodily injury, conspiracy to commit dealing a narcotic drug, dealing a narcotic drug, possession of a narcotic, conspiracy to commit dealing marijuana, dealing marijuana, possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia.
Deonta was also preliminarily charged with obstruction of justice.
The Tippecanoe County Prosecutor's Office will make the final charging decisions.