Orlando man denied bond after 4-year-old boy fatally shot at apartment complex
ORLANDO, Fla. —
An Orlando judge has ruled that 18-year-old Brandon McCloud will remain in jail without bond as he faces a manslaughter charge in the fatal shooting of 4-year-old Kayden Pearson at the Stella West Apartments on Silver Star Road last month.
In court, McCloud’s lawyer argued that prosecutors cannot prove he had the gun, but the judge determined that McCloud’s actions after the shooting were sufficient to deny bond.
Prosecutors presented body-camera footage showing the moments after the shooting, though some of the more difficult parts, including attempts to help Kayden, were not shown. Investigators said McCloud and his girlfriend had returned to a unit at the apartment complex, and minutes later, Kayden was shot in the chest.
McCloud’s girlfriend told investigators that they had just sat down on a bed, with Kayden a few feet away, when she heard a gunshot.
In court, prosecutors showed photos, including one of a bullet casing found in a trash can. A detective testified that McCloud gave his cellphone to someone else and encouraged his girlfriend to leave the scene.
Investigators also said McCloud’s internet search history showed he looked up “how to get gunpowder off you” before first responders arrived.
“In minutes of this child being shot, this defendant’s thought process did not go to rendering aid or trying to save the child’s life but trying to alter and disrupt the scene,” prosecutors said.
Investigators added that McCloud ran away when they attempted to collect a DNA sample from him days later.
Authorities have not stated whether the shooting was intentional or explained how it occurred, but investigators do not believe Kayden fired the gun himself. The weapon was not recovered at the scene.
The judge ruled that McCloud’s actions after the shooting justify holding him in jail without bond until his trial.