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2-year-old Mich. girl gunned down in possible revenge plot

INKSTER, Mich. - One man is charged with murder and two other suspects are in custody awaiting charges in connection with a July 1 shooting that left a 2-year-old girl dead in a possible revenge plot, reports CBS Detroit.

Police say Raymone Jackson, 24, gunned down 2-year-old Kamiya French as she sat on a porch at the Parkside Estates public housing complex with her 30-year-old father and 13-year-old cousin.

Jackson was arraigned Friday on charges of first-degree murder, torture and assault. According to the station, a witness who asked not to be named said that he went out to his car for a cigarette when he noticed a white van drive by with three people inside.

The witness said he watched as a man got out of the van, walked across the grass and approached the porch. He said it appeared the gunman targeted the toddler before turning the gun on the other child and the man.

"He shot the little baby point-blank and then he started shooting. I said 'He's killing everybody,' and I just laid down under the car, and he just casually walked away, got in the van and drove off," he said. "Point-blank he shot the baby and now she's dead, for no reason."

According to the station, Lt. Michael Shaw said the shooting was apparently fueled by vengeance.

"The child was the intended target and that's what the torture charge was for," Shaw said. "[Jackson's] thought process was that he was going to kill the child in front of this guy and then kill him afterwards and so that would be the last thing he sees."

Michigan State Police say the two suspects, who were not identified, were both taken into custody on Thursday. Their involvement with Tuesday's fatal shooting was not immediately clear.

Kamiya died at the scene from a gunshot wound to the head. Both Kamiya's father and her cousin received gunshot wounds, but are expected to survive.

State police have executed ten search warrants and seized three handguns so far in the case, which remains under investigation.

"The neighborhood has been very, very helpful to our investigation and I think this is a turning point for the people of the city of Inkster to say 'We've had enough of this stuff. This has to come to an end,' and I think this child's memory should be used for that," Shaw said. "There's no such thing as street justice, street code, street anything. It's all stupidity."

According to the station, it is not clear how the two suspects arrested Thursday are connected to the case.

Police are still asking anyone who has information on the case to contact the MSP tip line at 877-616-4677 or Crime Stoppers at 1 800 SPEAK-UP.

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