2 men face charges weeks after toddler killed in Dallas shooting

More than two weeks after a toddler was killed in a shooting in East Oak Cliff, the Dallas Police Department now says a pair of men are in custody and facing charges.

The shooting along Hemphill Drive on April 23 claimed the life of 2-year-old Khyree McDonald. At the time, Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux said McDonald's death was "a heartbreaking and unacceptable loss."

How the arrests happened

On Monday, May 11, Dallas Police shared more information about the investigation in an announcement regarding the arrests. Officers said the main person of interest was 25-year-old Toderick Austin, who reportedly left the scene of the shooting. Investigators worked to find and bring Austin into custody, catching a break by digging into his social media accounts.

Investigators said they were able to locate 18-year-old Jayveion Burnley, who was known to associate with Austin. After a search warrant was handled, both Austin and Burnley were taken into custody. Officers said several firearms and illegal narcotics were also recovered during the search.

Austin's charges include death by making a firearm accessible to a child and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. Burnley is charged with possession of prohibited weapons and possession of a machine gun.

Community faces heartbreak

"This was a tremendously heartbreaking case that deeply affected the community of Dallas," Chief Comeaux said in Monday's announcement. "I'm incredibly thankful that this department was not only able to bring justice and closure to this incident but also make our streets safer by recovering firearms that were sure to be used in future crimes. I could not be prouder of the officers and their work on this case."

McDonald's death hit hard for the community. Hector Gomez, who lived just a few homes away, told CBS News Texas in April that the incident shocked him.

"It's strange to hear something like this happened, and so close. In reality, we haven't seen anything like this before," Gomez said. "Who's not going to feel sad? It's traumatic thinking about it, why it happened, or what could have happened?"

McDonald's family declined to speak publicly at the time.