ORLANDO, Fla. – A 15-year-old boy was arrested Saturday in connection to a drive-by shooting late last month in Orlando that caused the deaths of a 6-year-old girl and a 19-year-old man, according to police.
Nico Brown, 15, is expected to face charges of first-degree homicide in the shooting deaths of Ajahliyah Hashim, 6, and Isaiyah Wright, 19, the Orlando Police Department said in a statement Sunday.
The shooting, reported just after 8 p.m. Tuesday in the 1100 block of Poppy Avenue, sent three victims to the hospital. Hashim — who police said was shot while inside her living room — was taken to the hospital along with her mother. Wright got dropped off at a hospital’s emergency room and was pronounced dead, according to police.
The girl suffered critical injuries in the shooting, police said. On Friday, the department confirmed that she had died. Her mother was still undergoing treatment for non-life-threatening injuries at last check.
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Orange County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Maria Vazquez posted Friday morning on social media, “My heart goes out to the Eagle’s Nest Elementary community, which has just lost a 6-year-old student to gun violence (Thursday) night.”
The mother and daughter were not the intended targets of the shooting, police said, adding it was not known as of Friday how Wright became involved, either.
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Earlier that week, News 6 observed several bullet markings at the victims’ home, as well as dozens of evidence markers outside.
“I heard the rapid gunfire and I called 911,” said a woman who lives nearby and asked to remain anonymous for her family’s safety. “They were really shooting.”
The woman, who described herself as a neighborhood watch leader, said that she knew the mother and child who were shot.
“She was such a beautiful girl,” the woman said. “So quiet. You would want (the mother) for a neighbor. No loudness, no riffraff, her kids were very controlled.”
Grief counselors were brought to Eagle’s Nest Elementary School on Friday for students and staff members.
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News 6 chose to name and show Brown due to the charges he’s expected to face and the circumstances in this case.
We have reached out to Orlando police to ask more questions and to obtain an incident report.
Anyone with information about the shooting was urged to contact the Orlando police Homicide Unit, or Crimeline at 800-423-8477 to remain anonymous.
This is a developing story. Check back here for updates.
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