Four-year-old Gor Adamyan lost his life in Lancaster, California, during a shooting that occurred on Friday evening, December 15, 2023, around 7:30 pm, in the 44600 block of Sierra Highway.
The situation developed when the suspected shooter’s vehicle aggressively cut off the family’s car. The assailants, 29-year-old Byron Burkhurt and 27-year-old Alexandria Gentile, both with gang ties, tailed the family’s vehicle through several streets.
The suspects pulled up alongside the young boy and his parents, Meri Adamyan and Levon Tantushyan, and the driver of the vehicle opened fire. A bullet struck the young boy, who was seated in the back seat, in his upper torso.
The parents rushed him to a local hospital. However, despite their efforts, the boy was pronounced dead at the facility. The parents were not physically harmed in the incident.
The quick response of the Lancaster Sheriff’s Department led to the arrest of the two suspects. They were apprehended and booked into the Los Angeles County Jail on suspicion of murder.
The city’s recently installed Flock Safety automated license plate recognition technology aided the swift capture of the suspects. This technology, aimed at reducing crime, played a crucial role in tracking the suspect’s vehicle.
Lancaster Mayor, R. Rex Parris expressed his grief and disbelief over the incident, stating, “It’s unimaginable. This could have been any of our families. It could have been any of us.” He also mentioned the effectiveness of the city’s crime-fighting technology in apprehending the suspects.
This incident is part of a disturbing national trend of gun violence affecting children. According to the Gun Violence Archive, a website that tracks shooting incidents nationwide, at least 284 children aged 11 or younger have been killed in shootings this year.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department continues its investigation and has requested anyone with information about the incident to contact its Homicide Bureau.
