WASHINGTON — Police have made a new arrest in connection with the shooting of a 5-year-old by her 3-year-old brother with an unsecured ghost gun last month.
The shooting occurred at an apartment complex in the unit block of Galveston St. Southwest around 6:30 p.m. on December 16. According to DC Police, the 5-year-old girl was injured in the upper body and taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition.
DC Police Chief Pamela Smith stated later that evening in a press conference that the young girl was shot by her 3-year-old brother while playing with an unsecured ghost gun. Two people were arrested and charged with child cruelty, including the victim’s older sister.
One witness told police that the 5-year-old girl went into a bedroom, heard a loud noise, and came out holding her chest, saying, “He shot me.”
Police say a third person has been arrested in connection with the shooting, identified as Kenneth Stokes in court documents.
According to court documents, the weapon used in the shooting was discovered on a TV stand in the older sister’s bedroom and bore markings similar to those of a ghost gun. Officers also discovered identification cards in the TV stand belonging to Stokes and his older sister, who were dating at the time of the shooting.
Court documents state that Stokes texted a witness on the day of the shooting. He reportedly apologized and admitted he was “in the wrong.” The witness then called Stokes to inform him of what had occurred.
“[Stokes] stated that he was sorry and was going to turn himself in,” the court document says. When asked if the gun was his, Stokes allegedly said yes and reiterated his intention to turn himself in to the police.
The following day, police linked the weapon to another shooting that injured a dog on August 22. During the investigation, court documents show that the dog, Chaos, was on a walk with its owner when they were approached by an unleashed dog.
Chaos’s owner reportedly told Stokes to get his dog, at which point Stokes allegedly pulled out a gun and shot Chaos in the right shoulder before fleeing.
Police began looking for Stokes, who had not turned himself in despite claiming he intended to do so. Stokes was arrested eleven days after the shooting and charged with carrying a pistol without a license, possessing unregistered ammunition, possessing a high-capacity feeding device, possessing a ghost gun, endangering others with a firearm, and animal cruelty.