Brothers almost crash into family car, shoot 2-year-old girl in the head after arguing with her mother

Brothers almost crash into family car, shoot 2-year-old girl in the head after arguing with her mother

Two brothers have been arrested in connection to the shooting death of a two-year-old girl in 2017. Laylah Washington was shot as she was riding in her mother's white Nissan Maxima on Kirby Parkway near Castle Creek, Memphis, on June 11, 2017. She would later die from her injuries two days later, with a long-running investigation zeroing in on 21-year-old Tylan McCray and 19-year-old Brandon McCray in the homicide.

A release by the Memphis Police Department states Tylan has been charged with first-degree murder, criminal attempt felony to wit: first-degree murder (3 counts), employing a firearm during commission of a dangerous felony, and possession of a controlled substance with the intent to sell — he was arrested with 26.7 grams of suspected marijuana and THC oil on his person. Brandon has been charged with accessory after the fact to wit: first-degree murder.

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Two-year-old Laylah was killed in a shooting incident in 2017 (Source: GoFundMe)
Two-year-old Laylah was killed in a shooting incident in 2017 (Source: GoFundMe)

According to the Daily Mail, the shooting was the culmination of a confrontation between Laylah's mother, Leslie Washington, and the two men at the parking lot of a strip mall on the same day. She said she was at the mall to pick up two of her sons from their job at Subway when a black Chevrolet Impala with three occupants nearly hit her car. 

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She said she yelled at the driver for driving recklessly, to which the occupants responded by shouting back something indistinguishable. It seemed as though the confrontation had come to an end, with Washington saying one of her sons then took Laylah to use the bathroom at Subway while she waited back at the car. "'If you sat there and actually watched them come out, you knew I had a baby in the car," she told a local outlet last year. 

But the tragic shooting would take place a little while after, and Washington insisted it was the same three thugs who followed her car and carried out the murder, with her hunch confirmed by surveillance footage. The shooting saw the two-year-old child hit in the head and she was rushed to the hospital in critical condition where she would cling to life for two days before succumbing to her injuries.

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The Memphis Police opened an investigation into the incident, examining footage, and interviewing multiple witnesses and persons of interest to little avail. They made a breakthrough in the case when a Crime Stoppers Tip on the one-year anniversary of the two-year-old's death led them to suspect Tylan and his brother Brandon.

Then, on Saturday, December 22, members of the police department's homicide unit, violent crimes unit (VCU), and Multi-Agency Gang Unit (MGU) conducted an operation that resulted in the pair's capture and charging, bringing an end to the long-running case.

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Tylan (left) and Brandon (right) McCray are scheduled to appear in court on December 26 (Source: Memphis Police Department)
Tylan (left) and Brandon (right) McCray are scheduled to appear in court on December 26 (Source: Memphis Police Department)

A statement by the department read, "The Memphis Police Department would like to thank everyone that played a part in helping bring justice to those responsible for the senseless killing of Laylah Washington."

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It continued, "For more than a year, our investigators have worked long and hard to ensure justice for Laylah. This holiday season, the Washington family and all Memphians affected by this senseless killing can find some level of comfort in knowing that those responsible have been arrested and will answer for their actions."

The Mail reports that Tylan is being held in the Shelby County Jail without bond and that Brandon is free on a bond of $10,000. Both brothers are scheduled to make their first appearance in court on Wednesday, December 26.

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