ORLANDO, Florida — A little boy walked into a bedroom holding his stomach and collapsed. He was 4 years old. He had just been shot in the chest.
What happened next — and what the teenager in that room chose to do — is what has left this community shaken.
A Normal Afternoon That Turned Deadly
On the morning of July 17, 18-year-old Brandon McCloud and his girlfriend were back at the Stella West Apartments after a quick store run. Kayden Pearson, just 4 years old, followed them into a bedroom.
McCloud was on the bed. He had a loaded gun.
When it went off, Kayden took the bullet to his chest. A neighbor heard the frantic knocking on her door, ran into the apartment, and carried the unresponsive child through the parking lot toward her car. Officers arrived and rushed him to the hospital. Kayden did not survive.
What His Phone Revealed
McCloud initially told police he and his girlfriend had just returned from the store when they heard the gunshot. But detectives were not convinced.
His phone told a different story.
About 75 minutes before the shooting, a video allegedly showed McCloud smoking marijuana and appearing impaired.
Then, in the critical minutes after Kayden was shot — when every second counted — McCloud was not calling for help.
He was Googling “how to get gunpowder off you.”
“His mentality was focused on escaping guilt rather than taking the opportunity to preserve life,” investigators wrote in the arrest affidavit.
Arrested, No Bond
McCloud was arrested Wednesday and booked into Orange County Jail with no bond. He faces a manslaughter charge and is set to appear before a judge Monday.
Kayden Pearson was 4 years old.
Does this case make you think about how guns are handled around children in your community? Share your thoughts in the comments.