Merced Police identify man arrested in death of 9-month-old Darius King Grigsby

MERCED, Calif. (KFSN) -- Eight days after 9-month-old Darius King Grigsby was killed in a drive-by shooting, the suspected gunman is in custody.

It was around noon last Wednesday when Baby Darius was being pushed in his stroller by his mother, who was walking along 12th street in Merced with a friend when shots were fired. The shooter took off.

Merced Police detectives relied on surveillance video to narrow down a suspect vehicle-a maroon Chevy Trailblazer SUV.

They tracked it down in this neighborhood in Merced, Zion canyon court.

"From there we were able to locate the suspect vehicle which was parked in the garage," Merced Police Lt. Joey Perez says. "It was subsequently taken into evidence to be processed by our crime scene team."

Police arrested the 17-year-old they believe was behind the wheel during the drive-by. He was booked into juvenile hall on homicide charges.

Then investigators tracked down the suspected shooter. 18-year-old Daevon Motshwane of Merced.

"He does have gang affiliation in king ties to this area. Detectives were able to pinpoint his location in the city of Gilroy," Perez says.

Gilroy Police and SWAT helped take Motshwane into custody.

"Through our investigation it was apparent that the male companion that was walking with Darius's mother was the intended target," Perez says.

In a statement to Action News, the baby's mother Monica Ayala thanked investigators for their work to get justice for little Darius.

"My son lost his life and never got to walk on his own, it wasn't fair that the people responsible were walking freely," Ayala says.

Motshwane is facing several felony charges including first degree murder, attempted murder and several gang enhancement charges.

"There's no beef out there that should be big enough to where bullets are flying and now we have to worry about burying a precious baby boy before he can even celebrate his first birthday," Perez says.