Police: Arrest of mother responsible for road rage baby’s death

DALLAS – A Texas woman who said her 3-year-old son was killed in a road-raid shooting has been arrested on child abuse charges, police said Thursday.

Lakravivan Monique Washington, 26, left a handgun in her Sport Utility car where it was accessible to her 2-4 year old children, who were unrestrained, according to a Dallas Police affidavit.

The investigation began Monday when Washington brought his son, Jalexas Washington, to the Medical City of Dallas Hospital with a gunshot wound to the head. The baby died, and the mother told police that she had been shot by an unidentified man during a road-rage shooting.

Investigators found no evidence of road-rage shooting at the mother’s location. But they found a handgun in the glove compartment of Washington’s car, so that no child was disturbed, the affidavit said.

In a follow-up interview, Washington told police that her children were climbing to the front from the back seat when she heard two gunshots and saw her son injured, according to the affidavit.

An autopsy revealed that there was a powder burn around the boy’s wound. This indicates that he was shot at close range and that a roadside shooting was canceled, the affidavit said.

If convicted, he could face up to two years in Washington state prison. He was jailed in Dallas County on Thursday on a 25,000 bond. The court recorded a list of lawyers for him.