Man charged with murder, accused of killing 4-year-old in road rage shooting

A man accused of firing into a family’s car, killing a 4-year-old boy in a road rage incident days before Christmas, has been charged.

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Gor Adamyan died after being shot Friday in Lancaster, California, KCAL-TV reported. Authorities said the 4-year-old was in the backseat of a car when Byron Burkhart pulled up alongside the vehicle and fired eight shots, striking Gor once.

His parents rushed him to a nearby hospital, where he died, officials said.

Burkhart has been charged with one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder, one count of shooting into an occupied vehicle and five counts of possession of a firearm by a felon, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said. He made his first court appearance on Tuesday, where a judge ordered him held on a bail of more than $5 million, KABC-TV reported.

“Our hearts ache for the tragic loss of a young life in such a devastating and senseless act of road rage,” Gascón said in a statement. “A family is facing unimaginable pain during what should be a joyous time this holiday season.”

Gor’s family was going to buy groceries around 7:30 p.m. on Friday when they were cut off by Burkhart, according to authorities and family representatives. Officials said Burkhart “allegedly engaged in aggressive driving maneuvers and road range” before he pulled up to the family’s vehicle and began shooting.

The other two people in the car, identified as Gor’s mother and father, were not hit by the gunfire.

Authorities initially arrested Burkhart and his girlfriend, who was traveling with him at the time of the shooting, according to investigators. His girlfriend was later released after prosecutors found they did not have enough evidence to charge her, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Lt. Mike Gomez told CNN.

In a GoFundMe campaign started to help support his family, Gor was described as “a vibrant four-year-old boy whose life was tragically cut short.” At a vigil held Monday to remember Gor, family spokesperson Miguel Coronado told KTTV that the boy’s parents were “here, but they’re almost dead in spirit, dead in soul. Dead in life.”

Burkhart is expected to appear in court for an arraignment next month. If convicted of the charges against him, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.