Dallas police have arrested two men in connection with the fatal shooting of a 2-year-old child last month in East Oak Cliff, authorities announced.
Police said 25-year-old Toderick Austin and 18-year-old Jayveion Burnley were taken into custody after investigators tracked Austin through social media activity and identified Burnley as a known associate.
According to investigators, officers executed a search warrant at a location tied to the suspects and recovered several firearms and illegal narcotics during the operation.
Austin faces multiple charges, including Make Firearm Accessible to Child – Death/SBI and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Felon. Burnley was charged with Possession of Prohibited Weapons.
Dallas police said the department’s Child Abuse Unit worked alongside the Violent Crimes, Safer Streets, and Fugitive Task Force units to locate Austin after he fled before officers arrived at the original crime scene.
“This was a tremendously heartbreaking case that deeply affected the community of Dallas,” Police Chief Daniel Comeaux said. “I’m incredibly thankful that this department was not only able to bring justice and closure to this incident but also make our streets safer by recovering firearms that were sure to be used in future crimes. I could not be prouder of the officers and their work on this case.”
The arrests stem from a shooting reported on April 23 in the 1700 block of Hemphill Drive.
Police said officers responded around 1:20 p.m. after receiving reports of a shooting and discovered that a 2-year-old child had suffered an apparent gunshot wound. The child was taken to a hospital and later died.
The Dallas County medical examiner later identified the child as Kyhree McDonald.
The child’s death stunned residents in the East Oak Cliff neighborhood, where neighbors described the tragedy as deeply upsetting.
“It’s strange to hear something like this happened, and so close. In reality, we haven’t seen anything like this before,” neighbor Hector Gomez told CBS News Texas. “Who’s not going to feel sad? It’s traumatic thinking about it, why it happened, or what could have happened?”
At the time of the shooting, Comeaux described the child’s death as “a heartbreaking and unacceptable loss.”
“The death of a two-year-old is a senseless tragedy,” the chief said. “As this investigation continues, we are committed to determining exactly what happened and ensuring accountability where it is warranted.”
The investigations remain ongoing under case numbers 057714-2026 and 060544-2026.
