Two Detroit teens have been arrested in connection with a grisly triple homicide that included a five-year-old victim.
The 16- and 17-year old boys were arrested for the murders of five-year-old Caleb Harris, his mother Lashon Marshall and her boyfriend, Aaron Benson. Detroit police suspect the alleged killers knew Caleb, Marshall and Benson.
“There is high confidence that the individuals we have taken into custody are responsible for this heinous act,” said Detroit Police Commander Michael McGinnis told Fox 2 Detroit.
The brutal murders by such young suspects, specifically young Caleb’s death, have shaken the city to its core.
Community leader Zeek Williams spoke about the child’s murder.
“When a 5-year-old is murdered in our community, we all got to have an understanding and look at it like that’s our kid too. Because until we start to look at those situations like that, nothing is going to change.”
It’s not clear when Marshall, Benson and Caleb were killed, but Detroit Police Chief James White told WDIV that family members had been unable to contact the couple for several weeks. Upon going to the house on the west side of Detroit to check on the victims, they discovered the back door had been kicked down. The bodies of the 28-year-old woman and 32-year-old man were found first. Caleb was found shot execution-style in his bedroom. Each of them suffered from multiple gunshot wounds. Police found the bodies on Feb. 20.
“It was clearly the kid’s bedroom was just a very tragic scene,” Chief White disclosed.
Caleb’s grandmother, Shalesa Floyd, told WDIV her beloved grandson was a “light” and that he didn’t deserve to have his life taken so soon.
“For you to shoot a 5-year-old in the face? Twice? You could have let him go so he could remain and live.”
The suspects have not been identified due to being minors.
