Police arrest man accused of killing 8-year-old boy, injuring his siblings in drive-by shooting
BATON ROUGE — Baton Rouge Police have arrested a man accused of murdering an 8-year-old boy and injuring his two siblings in a November drive-by shooting.
Kendrick Profit, 22, was arrested Tuesday for the murder of Diellon Daniels and the attempted murder of five others, including two of Daniels' siblings.
The shooting happened on Nov. 27 near Lofton Hair Care on Swan Avenue. According to police, Courtlyn Daniels was driving a Honda Accord with her five children inside when more than 20 shots were fired at the car. Diellon Daniels and two of his siblings were struck by gunfire and brought to the hospital.
Diellon Daniels died after being brought to the hospital and his siblings were expected to recover.
On Dec. 2, BRPD officers said they searched a home and found Profit and the sedan that was seen during the shooting. On Thursday, Profit told police he was not inside the vehicle during the shooting and that he "only performed mechanical services" on the car, adding that he had never ridden in the vehicle.
According to surveillance footage detailed in arrest records, police identified Profit as one of four men who exited the vehicle where the shots came from. Police added that Profit later removed multiple items from the car.
Detectives said they later found a live round and a shell casing from the area where Profit was seen dumping items he took from the car after the shooting.
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Profit was then booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on one count of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted first-degree murder. He is also being charged with illegal use of a weapon, as well as obstruction of justice.
Police said Profit has a criminal arrest history for theft and aggravated flight from an officer. He was arrested about a week after the shooting on Dec. 4 on unrelated theft charges in October.
Profit was released on a $2,500 bond for the theft arrest at the time of his arrest in the killing, arrest records indicate.
Diellon Daniels' grandmother said the arrest is bittersweet.
"I was happy, but I was also sad. It was kind of like a bittersweet moment. Joy that you have someone, sad that it's another young male," Erica Rayford said. "I just really feel sorry also for the male young man that is accused, but like I said, I do forgive him and I'm praying for him."