Teen Shoots at Brother but Kills 2-Year-Old in Yard, Police Say

A 2-year-old boy was shot in the head and killed Friday evening when one of two teen-age brothers arguing nearby pulled a gun and fired at the other, Los Angeles police said Saturday.

Police arrested the older brother, Rodney McCaskill, 19, of South Los Angeles on suspicion of murder. The toddler, Paul Logan, was shot as he played in the grass outside McCaskill’s home in the 11200 block of Zamora Avenue, Sgt. Jim Larkin said.

Larkin said McCaskill was arguing with his brother, whom police did not identify, when he pulled out an automatic pistol and fired a shot. It missed the brother, but hit Paul in the face. The boy was rushed to Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center, where he died, Larkin said.

McCaskill, accompanied by his parents, turned himself over to police in the Southeast Division a few hours later, Larkin said. McCaskill is being held without bail pending his arraignment Tuesday.