Deandre Vega of Norcross, who hadn’t yet reached his second birthday, was the victim of a deadly argument between family members, Gwinnett County police said Wednesday.
Deandre, 23 months old, was shot and killed Tuesday night, allegedly by his grandfather, Cpl. Jake Smith said.
“At this time, we don’t think he intended to actually shoot that child,” Smith said at the scene Tuesday night. “But we do believe he was trying to shoot someone else that was here.”
Wednesday morning, Deandre’s grandfather, Luis Efrain Torres, said he fired the shots in self-defense.
“I love my family, but I lost everything,” Torres said.
Shortly after 2 a.m. Wednesday, Torres was booked into the Gwinnett County Jail, charged with murder and aggravated assault. He was being held without bond.
Torres, 39, was at his home in the 5200 block of Stafford Drive, near Indian Trail Road, when investigators believe he got into an altercation with his son-in-law, Rochell McCoy, 29, Deandre’s father. Deandre and his parents weren’t living with Torres but previously had, police said Wednesday.
It wasn’t known what led to the altercation between Torres and McCoy, according to police. But it was during that argument that Torres allegedly pulled a gun and fired shots toward McCoy, Smith said. One of those shots hit Deandre, who was less than three weeks shy of turning 2.
“I was arguing with him and him with me,” Torres told Channel 2 Action News. “And he threw me to the floor and pushed me and hit me.”
Neighbors called 911 after hearing gunshots, and officers arrived to find the injured child in the driveway of the home. Deandre was transported by ambulance to a hospital, but did not survive, Smith said. No other injuries were reported.
Torres said that when he realized what happened, he ran to the child’s side. He said he’s devastated by his grandson’s death.
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