Man arrested after toddler dies in Pompano Beach shooting

POMPANO BEACH, Fla. – Broward Sheriff’s Office detectives are investigating a shooting that left a 2-year-old child dead Saturday afternoon.

Authorities announced the arrest of Lius Appolon on Sunday.

According to BSO spokeswoman Gerdy St. Louis, deputies responded to a shooting call around 2 p.m. at an apartment near the 500 block of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, just east of Interstate 95.

“All I heard was the gunshot, and then I just saw everybody coming, and then less than two minutes later, all you hear is sirens up and down, and I saw everybody flying and I’m like, ‘wow, what happened?’” said witness Jacarter Boyd.

Deputies said the child was airlifted to an area hospital by Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue and was later pronounced dead.

Authorities said detectives with BSO’s Crime Scene and Homicide Units are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.

According to St. Louis, representatives from BSO’s Child Protective Investigation Section have also been contacted.

The victim’s gender and identity have not been released at this time.

Local 10 News was outside of the apartment building where deputies put one man in handcuffs and placed him into a patrol car.

Appolon is facing a manslaughter charge following the shooting, with what BSO described as “an unattended firearm.”

Authorities did not say if Appolon is related to the victim or why he was in the home with a gun.

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About the Authors:

Ryan Mackey is a Digital Journalist at WPLG. He was born in Long Island, New York, and has lived in Sunrise, Florida since 1994.

Terrell Forney joined Local 10 News in October 2005 as a general assignment reporter. He was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, but a desire to escape the harsh winters of the north brought him to South Florida.