Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Tot boy shot dead in car seat after mommy shoots BIRD at driver

Episode Date: May 24, 2021

A 6-year-old boy is dead after he was shot in an apparent road-rage attack in California. Kindergartener, Aiden Leos, was sitting in a booster seat in the back of the family’s car when another driver cut off Leos’ mother while they were in the carpool lane. She threw the other driver the finger in the rear-view mirror, according to police. As the mother merged into another lane, a passenger believed to have been in that other vehicle fired a gun, striking Leos. The mother pulled over to the side of the road on northbound State Route 55 in Orange, southeast of Los Angeles. She cradled the child as he died in her arms. Investigators are searching for the other vehicle believed to be involved in the incident. It appeared to be a white Volkswagen wagon sedan, and its two occupants, a man, and a woman.Joining Nancy Grace today: Wendy Patrick - California prosecutor, Author: “Red Flags” www.wendypatrickphd.com 'Today with Dr. Wendy' on KCBQ in San Diego Dr. Jorey Krawczyn [KRAW-ZIN] - Police Psychologist, Adjunct Faculty with Saint Leo University; Research Consultant with Blue Wall Institute, Author: Operation S.O.S. - Practical Recommendations to Help “Stop Officer Suicide” (July 2021) bw-institute.com Dr. Michelle Dupre - Forensic Pathologist and former Medical Examiner, Author: “Homicide Investigation Field Guide” & "Investigating Child Abuse Field Guide", Former Police Detective Lexington County Sheriff’s Department Spencer Coursen - Founder and President: Coursen Security Group www.CoursenSecurityGroup.com, Author: "The Safety Trap: A Security Expert’s Secrets For Staying Safe in a Dangerous World", www.TheSafetyTrap.com, Instagram: @s.coursen, Twitter: @SpencerCoursen Karen L. Smith - Forensic Expert, Lecturer at the University of Florida, Host of Shattered Souls Podcast, @KarensForensic, barebonesforensic.com  Alexis Tereszcuk - CrimeOnline.com Investigative Reporter, Writer/Fact Checker, Lead Stories dot Com, Twitter: @swimmie2009  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to an iHeart Podcast. How many times have you ridden around doing errands, going on trips to school with your children in the back seat? How many times have you put a car seat or a booster seat in the car? I can't even count the times. As a matter of fact, when we left the hospital with the twins, when they were born, we had to leave with car seats. How does a little six-year-old boy end up dead sitting in his booster seat in the car with mommy how does everything go so sideways we want answers and he said mommy my tummy hurts.

So she went and she picked him up. And he was bleeding on her. She had blood on her clothes. And then he started turning blue. And that's when the ambulance took him. And that was the last time that my mom saw him alive. He passed away. Please help us find the people that did this to my little brother. He's only six and he was so sweet. He was a very, very loving boy. So please help us find who did this to him. We will. Please join us. The tip line 714-567-6000. Repeat 714-567-6000. With me, an all-star panel to help do exactly what the family is asking after the death

of this beautiful six-year-old little boy simply riding in the car with mommy belted in with his booster seat first of all wendy patrick california prosecutor author of red flags you can find her at wendypatrickphd.com and today with dr wendy kcbQ San Diego, Dr. Joy Croson, psychologist, faculty, St. Leo University, research consultant and author of Operation SOS. Dr. Michelle Dupree, forensic pathologist, former medical examiner, author of Homicide Investigation Field Guide, and former detective with Lexington County Sheriffs. Karen Smith, forensic expert, lecturer, University of Florida, and host of Shattered Souls podcast. You can find her at barebonesforensics.com.

Spencer Corson, founder, president, Corson Security at corsonsecuritygroup.com. Author of The Safety Trap, a security expert's secrets for staying safe in a dangerous world. And boy, do we need those tips today. But first, to Alexis Tereschuk, CrimeOnline.com investigative reporter. Alexis, take a listen to this. What are your words for the person who did this? They took my son's life away and he was beautiful and he was kind and he was precious and you killed him for no reason and i want to find them and i want there to be justice to be served for my son.

I was driving on the freeway. And there was a car behind me that cut me off abruptly. I was in the carpool lane with my son. And as I started to merge away from them, I heard a really loud noise. And my son said, ow. And I had to pull over. And he got shot. You were earlier hearing Aiden's sister, Alexis Clonin, and just then, his mom, Joanna, speaking to our friends at GMA. Alexis Tereschuk, sounds like

mom's driving down the freeway. She gets cut off and suddenly shots ring out. Tell me everything you know up to that point, Alexis. So it was about eight o'clock in the morning. She was. I'm sorry, but stop right there. Right there. Spencer Corson, founder, president of Corson Security, that's extremely rare for a shooting, a murder to take place at 8 o'clock in the morning. Usually we hear about murders in bars, at places of business, and they're very rarely first thing in the morning. I mean, statistically, this is an anomaly. Statistically, it's an anomaly. We also don't know if it was morning for the mother, but it may not have been morning for the predator. They may have been out all night.

That is a very good point, Spencer. Of course, I hadn't thought about it like that. Alexis, sorry, go right ahead. They're driving to school. It is 8 o'clock in the morning. She's driving on the 55 freeway traveling north. Whoa, whoa, slow it down. Orange County, the 55 freeway driving north.

Is that totally bumper to bumper by 8 a.m.? I mean, the school must have been far away from her having to get onto the freeway at 8 o'clock in the morning. Sometimes the freeway is the fastest way to go in the morning. It really is. It just depends. But this is a well-traveled freeway. But yeah, it is bumper to bumper. Even during COVID, the traffic in the morning has really increased in Los Angeles again. This is just south of Los Angeles. So this is a road that actually has come from and will turn into a toll road. And that is important to note

because the one thing that toll roads have are cameras. Well, I don't get it. If they've got all these cameras, how come they haven't caught the perp? There might not have been cameras at this exact spot, but... Well, my stars, I mean, Karen Smith, forensic expert, there may not be a camera at that exact spot. But if we can get a description of the vehicle, certainly there's a camera 500 yards down the freeway or at the toll, right? Absolutely.

The description is correct. What? Right, exactly. Hold on, hold on. Go, Karen. is correct what what exactly that hold on hold on go karen they're using a generic district description of a car a white car a white sedan station wagon type car that's all they have well they have dash cams in cars now nancy people have dash cams they're asking for the public's help too okay spears was that you jumping in it was i was just saying that one of the toughest

things with conducting any kind of investigation is relying on eyewitness testimony, especially of a mother who was already under duress, who was getting cut off, who was gesturing, who was trying to get away. She may have been able to have the presence of mind to say there was a man and woman driving, but also to ask her to give a color and description of a vehicle is not likely that it was accurate. Huh. Hmm. I don't know. I think some of my hundreds of eyewitnesses I put on the stand under oath may disagree with you, but I think you may be right. The mother had other things on her mind at that moment, but what about all the people?

You just heard Alexis Terrestriuk say packed freeway, Highway 55, toll road. Everybody's going to have to slow down for the toll. What did this guy just fly over the roofs of every car certainly they had to see what was going on listen to Zarin Shah speaking with mom Joanna Clunan. Officials say it's unclear what sparked the incident but say the bullet went through the trunk hitting the toddler in a back booster seat Joanna frantically trying to save her child. I pulled over and I took him out of the car

and I tried to put my hand on his wounds while calling 911 because he was losing a lot of blood. Aiden dying a short while later. He sang all the time and the children at the preschool, everybody loved him. This is a once in a lifetime kid. I miss him.

And the person who did this can't get away with it. Who in the H-E-L-L pulls out a gun and starts shooting at other cars during the school drive-in. Who? Who did that? There is a way to find them, whether it's through a car identification, a tag identification, a bullet comparison. But we will find this guy and make no mistake about it. It will be a guy. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories and this is one of the most difficult cases because so many of us can identify with this mother driving her children to school like we all do.

Every morning, she has an altercation of sorts. A guy cuts her off, and suddenly shots ring out. And then her little boy, just six years old, says, Mommy, my tummy hurts. My tummy hurts. He has been shot in the stomach. The little child dies. Over what? Take a listen to our friends at KTLA speaking with Officer Florentino Oliveira. We're looking for a white sedan.

If you were traveling northbound 55 in the city of Orange between 755 this morning and 815, especially if your vehicle has a dash cam, we want to see that video and see what we can see because it was a white sedan that we're looking for. Viewers saw images of what has been described as a gray-colored sedan, a Chevy sedan. Have you spoken to the mother who was driving that vehicle? Our investigators are talking to her. We're trying to get as much information as we can. It was a silver Chevrolet sedan. Okay, so what do we know? A white sedan, that's not really helping me very much. Wendy Patrick, California prosecutor, author of

Red Flags. Wendy Patrick, PhD, today with Dr. Wendy, KCBQ San Diego. Wendy, what do they mean? Explain to everybody what we mean by a sedan. That's pretty vague. I don't think they should even say that, frankly, Wendy. I mean, if they want to say a four door car, not an SUV, not a Jeep, not a minivan, it's a sedan. They need to explain it. People are like, what's a sedan? That's exactly right, Nancy. You know, I have to say this happened literally in my backyard. This is the exit I live off of. My mother and sister were in the backup sitting on the freeway watching the sort of the cops as they were looking for clues but yeah you're right descriptions are everything and we talk about your witnesses my witnesses can they remember can they recount under trauma but i have to say when the shooter and his

companion find that they killed a little boy somebody might begin to talk you know sometimes we solve crime based on who says what to whom afterwards. You know, they may say, oh, I was shooting at the tires. I wanted to scare somebody. But this is one of those crimes that might not be solved through a description of a white sedan, whatever that means, or even necessarily by the description of others that were driving to work that day. But instead, by what these two people in the car, the shooters, I know maybe it was the man. That sounds like what the witness testimony seems to be so far. Or, Nancy, who they talked to about what they did that actually ends up solving that.

Good point. Good point. Because, you know, the old saying is true. It may have come out of the World War over in Great Britain where it first started. But loose lips sink ships. And I guarantee you, many cases have been cracked by blabbermouths. It just can't keep their yap shut. You're so right. Dr. Wendy Patrick joining us.

You know, there is talk of two people in the vehicle, a woman driver and a male. We'll get to that. But first, take a listen to Mary Beth McCabe, KTLA. What more do we know about what set this whole thing off? Alexis says her mother was driving her brother to kindergarten at Calvary Chapel in Yorba Linda when a white sedan cut her mom off on the 55 freeway near Chapman in Orange as she tried to switch lanes. Another family member says Aiden's the suspect's car. The suspect's car was parked in the back of a car and the suspect's car was parked everywhere near Chapman in orange as she

tried to switch lanes. Another family member says Aiden's mom made a gesture and that the suspect's car pulled behind them and shot into the back of their car around 8 a.m. She heard something but

she didn't identify as a gunshot because no one would think that someone just shot a bullet into my car. So, yeah, it wasn't until that she grabbed him and there was blood all over her clothes. Alexa says the suspect's car was a white Volkswagen Jetta. She says her mom told her that a woman was driving and a man was in the passenger seat. Police scoured the freeway for hours for any clues today and are now searching

for little Aiden's killer. We're never full again. He was, he was amazing and I hope that they know what they took today. Well, they don't. They don't know what they took. They're complete idiots. But even idiots can form intent to kill. To Alexis Teresha at CrimeOnline.com investigative reporter. So what? The mom tries to change lanes.

She gets cut off. What? She shoots a bird? Is that it? That's exactly what it sounds like. She just, you know, cut her off the freeway is dangerous. Is there anybody on this panel or in this studio that has never shot a bird in your whole life? All the way back to high school. Okay. I know you're guilty. I'm not even looking at you. So ever. Okay. As much as I have lectured my twins and my husband, don't do this. Yeah, I've done it.

Yeah. Has anybody not done it on this panel? Go ahead. Nobody. So what? Her son gets the death penalty because mommy gets angry and shoots a bird on the way to school. There are people that are actually angry at the mother. This is insane. You know, I don't get that too. Dr. Jory Croson, police psychologist, faculty, St. Leo University, author for Pete's sake, I could go on and on and on. Author of Operation SOS. Dr. Jory, author of operation sos dr jory why are people bad mouthing the mother because she shot a bird yeah i mean i'm sure that's not her finest moment but her son was murdered well people always look for somebody to blame and they look for like okay her shooting a bird that was the triggering event but you know they don't really understand personality especially of the shooter who's the one to blame you know these type of individuals there's there's a whole study of

like drivers and their personality you have oh i want to hear this tell me about the study with drivers and their personalities because you know what you know what dr jory crawson you heard wendy patrick earlier say they may brag they may talk about it may tell one person about it they may try to get rid of their car get rid of their gun and somebody finds out that could crack the case but what you're saying fits in with what dr wendy patrick is saying their personality the things that i look at first off is why was there a female driver and why wasn't the male driver? Maybe he don't have a license. Maybe he was a hitchhiker.

All sorts of things that would factor into that. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Hold on. I don't think he's a hitchhiker. Just let me put that out there. I don't either. He could have been. I think they know each other.

And I don't think it's that unusual the woman's driving but typically the male is driving because the men always go all macho i'm gonna drive and so the woman's like fine i don't care so but this case the woman is driving did he have a history did he have a dui that's something to explore go ahead dr jory that's all factors into it because the personality of the study is proxemic it's that personal bubble that we have around us but with a vehicle it extends from the vehicle usually 15 20 feet down the traffic lane you know people you're traveling down the road and somebody pulls in front of you 15 20 feet down they're going to make a turn or trying to pass somebody. People become offended with that.

That's entering their... Well, I mean, it can make you have a crash when somebody pulls in front of you. I immediately get mad. And then I immediately think, oh, well, I've done it a million times, so why am I getting mad? Okay, they're probably lost, as I have been. And then you suddenly have to change lanes, and everybody gets mad and starts blowing the horn. It happens. But what you're saying, you just made me think of something else, Dr. Jory. What about this? What about this? Why was she driving? At first, that kind of offended me. Why shouldn't she? But what if it's her car and she doesn't want him to drive? I mean,

I'm just running through all this in my mind and i'll tell you why alexis taraschuk crimeonline.com investigative reporter every single fact matters now alexis why didn't you tell me at the beginning they think it's a white v a white vw jetta you said a sedan well jetta is a is a sedan. It's like a four-door car. Well, I know that. I know that. But Jetta, by saying that, it greatly reduces my population of suspect's cars. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Guys, a six-year-old little boy is dead.

And that reminds me, Dr. Michelle Dupree, forensic pathologist, former medical examiner, author of Homicide Investigation Field Guide. Yes, she literally wrote the book. Dr. Michelle Dupree, how did this child bleed out? Well, he had to have been shot through the back, but he said, my tummy hurts. Yes, Nancy, the bullet apparently went in through near the trunk of the car, passed through that, and then into the child. So he was hit from the back, but that's going to be in his abdominal area. And so a child, he's just going to say his stomach hurts.

There are many, many, many vital organs, your liver, your spleen, many vital organs in the abdominal area that can carry lots and lots of blood to the body. So he would have probably bled out relatively quickly. You know, Dr. Dupree, I hope he did. I hope he didn't suffer, but I know he was still alive when the mom got to him. So how long would he have suffered, Dr. Dupree? Well, Nancy, again, that really depends on what organs were hit. But like you, I hope that it was relatively quickly.

And we do know that abdominal wounds are in that abdominal area, that organs carry a lot of blood. And so they do lose blood quickly. And hopefully that was the case. I think this also underscores the importance, you know, this tragic occurrence underscores the imminent need for parents to be first aid and CPR certified, because the immediate application of blood stopper and CPR may have given, you know, that poor Aiden the time he needed to survive. Dr. Michelle Dupree, do you think there's any chance she could have saved him? Nancy, again, that's hard to say. I think that probably by the time I would have taken the ambulance to get there, I think it was probably a done deal. Right, but if she had had a first aid kit with blood stopper, she very well could have saved his life. What do you mean blood stopper?

It's a substance that when you put it on, she very well could have saved her life. What do you mean blood stopper? Go ahead, doctor. It's a substance that when you put it on bleeding, it basically makes it coagulate and stop the bleeding. But if the injury was inside the stomach, how could you put blood stopper on it? Because the blood comes out the bullet hole. Yeah, and it's usually a powder that goes in and then coagulates. Okay, hold on, hold on. Blood stopper. So if you have an internal wound, Dr. Dupree, you put blood stopper on the surface of the child's stomach, it would stop the bleeding on the internal wound? And then you pour it into the wound. You can actually pour this powder into

the wound and it will, it can stop it. But again, in cases like this, because we know that once a bullet is deformed from going through the trunk first, when that bullet enters the body, it's going to be a much larger hole. It's going to do much more damage than it would have been if someone had just been shot clean. And so I think that it's unlikely,

but it's possible. You know, it is possible. It can stop the bleeding. Roll Tina Patel, CBSLA. We had a chance to talk to a couple who pulled over right after this happened. They didn't see the shooting. They saw the mother on the side of the road. Here's what they said she told them.

I mean, she was hysterical, obviously. So my baby, my baby. And we didn't know what had happened. It took a bit to figure out that her son got shot. She was driving another car up, I guess, passed her up, and as she changed lanes, I guess they went behind her, and it was like, we don't know. Basically, they shot into the back of her car, and they hit her son.

And to you, Karen L. Smith, forensic expert, lecturer, University of Florida, host of Shattered Souls podcast at barebonesforensics.com. Karen Smith, I can't help but think about taking my children every single morning to school. And you're minding your own business. You're talking. We talked the whole way about what's going to happen that day. Today they have exams. John David has Spanish and religion. Lucy has, what does she have? English and religion. And we say a little prayer on the way. We talk about what we're going to have for supper that night. And it's one of the greatest

times of the day for me anyway. I'm just trying to imagine this happening with this mom driving her children to school at a time when you think nothing's going to go wrong. I had a case similar to this, Nancy, and it was heartbreaking. A woman had just dropped her children off at school. She was rolling up to a stoplight. There was a shooting 200 yards down another street and a stray bullet hit her in the left side of the head. She was just dropping her children off. And these are the kind of cases you're going to carry. These officers are going to carry this for the rest of their life, along with the family. It is absolutely heartbreaking. It is senseless. It makes me so mad that a gesture in a in a rearview mirror that we've all done just

it's a bird i've done it it's a bird i've done it we've all done it and you keep looking it makes me so mad that somebody is going to get this angry and follow a car over to the right lane and fire off and i'm telling you what i'm telling you what. I'm telling you what, Nancy. They're going to find the projectile and they're going to find the casing. They did a line search on that highway. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Please don't throw out your CSI lingo on everybody

without explaining it. What's a line search? A line search is when you go arm to arm. It's like a military search. You basically walk the line. You have an area that you are to search, and you cross over 50% of the area of the person next to you. So you're covering a very large area with a line of people.

They walk the highway looking for a shell casing from that gun. That gun was not inside the car. They stuck their arm outside that car to fire that gun. And if it was a semi-automatic, the casing is going to eject. They're going to find it. They're going to run it through NIBIN, which is the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network. Long name.

Essentially what it is, is it uses algorithms to search a database against known images of potential guns nationwide. Karen Smith, please slow down. I'm drinking from the fire hydrant too much too fast. Start again with NIBIN. NIBIN, the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network. It is a national database that houses information on casings, projectiles, and guns. If they can find the casing and the projectile from this case, they can run

it through NIBIN. They can do a search of known guns, known projectiles, known casings. They can find a potential match and they can find that gun. You find the gun, you find out if it's registered, you can go do a search for the registration, find out who owns it, and start from there. You know what's interesting, Karen Smith? Typically, a bullet or cartridge, cartridges have markings on them, too, from being projected out of the weapon. Firing pin, ejection port pin. Exactly. Yep.

Are in NIBIN, and they're usually in if they have been involved in another crime. But you know what I think, Karen, and it would cost a little bit of money, but I think every gun sold or made should have a test pattern done and be registered, just like every government worker has to have a fingerprint. I don't know why every gun doesn't have a print on it. How awesome would that be? Okay, I'm just throwing that out there. So you're telling me cops did a line search down Highway 55

to try to find the projectile. And you're so right. I think the perp held, hung out the window or fired out the window. And so that projectile is out. She's talking about the cartridge, the casing, when it flies off from the firing gun, from the firing pin. Guys, take a listen to this new information. This is Aiden's uncle.

Did you take your shot and fire the gun? No. No. But it was probably the male in the passenger seat since she was driving. She was merging to the right side to get away from this person. And as you can see, if you go online and look at the photos, there's one bullet shot in the trunk that went through the trunk and right through my nephew. So you can tell that it was a cowardly way of doing it because they shot her in the back pretty much.

So I have no words to say at this moment. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Who in the hay shot this little boy dead as mommy's driving him to school? Tip line 714-567-6000. Repeat, 714-567-6000. Will the female driver be overcome with guilt? Do they even know they murdered a little boy that day? What was this to them? Some stunt? Did the woman know he was going to fire? Because she's on the hook for murder as well. She is on the hook for murder as well, even if she did not fire the bullet.

So lady, if you're listening, you better come forward now and try and save your own skin. Don't go down with this guy that fired. Straight out to Alexis Tereschuk joining us, CrimeOnline.com investigative reporter. What else do we know? Well, we do know that I, so the car, they're driving on the freeway. Everybody's going very fast. Even if it is bumper to bumper traffic,

it was not slow. This is not slow. So the fact that they quickly cut her off, she's like, I got to get away from these folks. This is too scary. I've got my child in my car. She moves to the right. So again, vehicles moving. This person is able to lean out of the car, fire a bullet and actually hit the car. This cannot be the first time this person

has ever fired a gun before. This is, to me, it's amazing. You know how people say, you know, you couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with a gun. I mean, moving in traffic on the freeway in Los Angeles and managed to hit the car. This is so terrible. That's a really good point. This ain't his first time at the rodeo. I think we can all agree on that. You don't buy a gun and have it registered and put away in the cabinet under lock and key in your home. And then suddenly the first time ever you get mad in traffic and start shooting a car.

Oh, no, that it did not happen that way. Would you agree or disagree, Spencer? I would agree that he absolutely had a gun, knows how to use it and had a willingness to deploy it. But I think what may have happened was that he was trying to shoot the tire. And what most amateur shooters will do, if they're moving is they'll go up and right and that's why that bullet is lodged where it was lodged and that's why it went through you know a very thin piece of metal through the through the you know in the trunk most cars now it's just that it's just the back seat of the of the rear seat which is the only protection there, then it's at that distance. Spencer, you got to slow down, okay?

Unless it's a crime and I'm talking about forensics, I'm lost. Don't ask me anything else in the world except how to try a murder case. So I don't know exactly how a car is built. You're saying what? First of all, I was going to attack you for saying i think he was trying to shoot the wheels out because how do you know what he was trying to do but what you said after that made perfect sense where the bullet was placed yeah it makes perfect sense so you're right he may not have been intending to actually shoot anybody in the car doesn't matter he's committing a felony that's aggravated assault

the child is dead but what were you telling me about the the only protective the only protection the child had was the back seat what were you saying about that there there is no trunk there is no barrier protection in a trunk that's just that's just soft you know skin of a vehicle, which is why they always say, look, if you're in a gunfight, you want to get behind the engine block because- Well, actually, I never thought that. If I'm in a gunfight, I need to get behind the engine block. Hey, I guess, you know what? You should really write a book, something like The Safety Trap, a security expert's secrets for staying safe in a dangerous world. You're right, Spencer, go ahead. I'm listening. Well, what I want to say for both, interpersonal dynamics are perishable skills. And one of the unintended consequences of isolating society from one another during a

quarantine is that we have forgotten how to contend with one another. So everyone's anxieties are up. You know, this is why soldiers who come back from overseas have to be like re-socialized back into their society because, you know, the acceptable norms of war are different from the acceptable norms of society. Okay, you're out in the weeds now. You're talking about interpersonal relationships and war veterans and COVID. Let me just try to get the bus back in the middle of the road. You're talking about the car. What else can you tell me? Everyone is anxious and frightened.

And the bottom line when it comes to staying safe is that awareness plus preparation equals safety. So when you see someone who's acting erratically, especially in a time of heightened emotional states, we want to just err on the side of caution and do everything we can to ensure the certainty of our own safety and the safety of our loved ones. Now, I get, you know, the other day, Dr. Jory Croson, we were all in the minivan going somewhere and the interstate was packed and somebody cut my husband off. He was driving and he blew the horn, not just a little toot toot, but a peck. And I'm like, have you lost your mind? What if those people have a gun? And they turn around and start firing at us with the children in the car,

for Pete's sake. Of course they didn't. But in this day and age, Spencer Corson is right, Dr. Jory. You've got to know there are nuts out there. You don't know who's pulling up beside you at the red light. Yeah. The greatest thing you can do is distance yourself. You know, I've been in those situations where somebody will flip me off or cut me off and then I'll just slow down and get in the other lane because that distance equals the safety. It gives them a time to de-escalate maybe, you know, but if they do decide to get you know, get into attack mode,

now at least I'm distance back and I can respond to that. I just hope I'm setting the right example for the children when things like this happen in the car, that they know to do exactly as what you're saying, Dr. Jory Crawson, and what Spencer Corson is saying, what Karen Smith is saying. Guys, take a listen to Mary Beth McKay, KTLA. I just want them to know what they took from the world today, what they took from my family, a little child of happiness. Alexis Clunan is angered and heartbroken that someone would shoot into her mother's car

on the 55 freeway, killing her 6-year-old brother, Aiden Leos. Aiden was sitting in his booster seat in the back of the family's silver Chevy sedan. Alexa says her mom is beside herself with grief. She's not doing well because it's every mother's worst nightmare. Like, she had to hold him while he was dying. No, like, no mother should have to go through that. Guys, sadly, it's not the first time an innocent child dies sitting with mommy in the car. Take a listen to our friends and a 911 call.

We were just leaving Lenox Mall. I literally just left it. We heard a gunshot, like a gunshot sound. And then all of a sudden my niece falls over. She's seven. Wow. And that is the 911 call. Very, very difficult to listen to. After a seven-year-old girl was hit by gunfire near Phipps Plaza. And tonight she is still fighting for her life. Detectives are still trying to track down the shooter. You are hearing our friend Rick Fulbaum, CBS 46. Now listen to our friends at WXIA. Metro police have worked 155 homicides so far this year. The latest victim

is an innocent child. After spending five days in the hospital fighting for her life, police say seven-year-old Kennedy Maxey died the day after Christmas. The victim of senseless gun violence. Police say Kennedy was riding in the car with her mother and aunt last Monday near Phipps Plaza when she was shot in the back of the head. Investigators believe Kennedy was hit with a stray bullet, possibly fired during an argument between a group of men in the nearby Saks parking lot. Atlanta police are still working to track down the shooter. I've got papers an inch thick of similar transactions where children are shot dead. Unintentionally, but the reality is straight out to our friend Wendy Patrick joining us, California prosecutor,

it doesn't really matter if the shooter meant to shoot the child in the car. In fact, I'm sure they didn't. What matters is they're committing a felony and a death occurs. That's right. And that's got to be something that the jury is going to really have to be instructed on because you're right, there's too many people that believe that intent to kill is part of every crime. It's not. That's why we have crimes like negligent discharge.

That's why we care about people shooting off guns on New Year's Eve and engaging in hazardous activities. But let this be a lesson that guns are lethal. Even if you try to shoot at a tire, stray bullets kill, and they kill children. And the more we talk about these cases, and Nancy, you're talking about it on your show, may lead others to really not only understand how real this is, but also perhaps lead us to some real clues, not the white sedan, but some real clues as to who did this. Because you can imagine that the shooter and the driver of the car,

they may actually decide that they're going to tell somebody about it when they find out that they killed a child, didn't just shoot out a tire. The mother of little Aiden says, quote, it feels like my life is over. Alexis, do we have any more leads we can share today? We don't have any more leads, but I do want to say one thing about what happened when she pulled over. You know, she frantically called 911. Another couple stopped to help. She called 911.

You know, it's a crowded freeway. It took a while for the ambulance to come. A retired police officer, a CHP, you know, California Highway Patrol officer pulled over to help. I think everybody did

everything they could to stop this little boy. I'm glad you told me that, Alexis. And one more very important fact. There is a $50,000 reward for information in the death of six-year-old Aiden Leos. $50,000. Tipline 714-567-6000. We wait as justice unfolds.

Nancy Grace, Crime Story, signing off. Goodbye, friend. We wait as justice unfolds. Nancy Grace, I'm story signing off. Goodbye. You're listening to an I heart podcast.