Man Charged in Shooting Death of 4-Year-Old : Errant Bullet Struck Boy After Suspect Allegedly Fired at Girlfriend’s Brother

A young man who allegedly fired a shot at his girlfriend’s brother was charged Friday with the murder of a 4-year-old South-Central Los Angeles boy who was struck by the errant bullet while playing nearby.

The child, Demont Beans, was wounded in the head Wednesday afternoon as he stood with his bicycle on a sidewalk next to his house in the 1500 block of East 53rd Street, police said. He died three hours later at Martin Luther King Jr. Medical Center.

James Barnett, 22, of the 1400 block of East 53rd Street, surrendered to police later in the day.

Murder Charge

Deputy Dist. Atty. Allan S. Tyson, who filed the murder charge against Barnett, gave this account of the shooting, based upon police reports:

Barnett had telephoned his girlfriend, Tina Tresevant, who lived next door to the child. Barnett wanted to visit, but she rebuffed him. He showed up at her house anyway and--jokingly, Barnett claimed--threatened to beat her up. Then Tina’s brother, Dennis, arrived and--she later told police--took umbrage at Barnett’s remarks.

A confrontation developed. Dennis crossed the street and stood in the front yard of a neighbor’s house. Barnett stood in the front yard of the Tresevant house. The child was pedaling his bicycle back and forth on the same side of the street as Barnett.

‘I Have a Gun ...’

According to a neighbor and a workman who witnessed the shooting, Barnett told Dennis: “I have a gun now and you can’t get yours.”

Then Barnett pointed a .22-caliber revolver at Dennis and fired.

When the shot felled the child, Barnett ran over to the little boy and said he had not meant to shoot him, witnesses told police. Then he fled.

Barnett, who turned himself in after police contacted his parents, reiterated to investigators that he had not meant to shoot anyone. He said he had been playing with the gun and had intended only to fire it skyward.

‘Miniature Revolver’

Tyson, the prosecutor, described the weapon as a “miniature revolver” with a one-inch barrel. Because of the short barrel length, Tyson said, “You couldn’t hit a tin can at ten feet with this thing.”

Barnett is being held at County Jail without bail pending arraignment Tuesday in Los Angeles Municipal Court. He is also charged with assault with a deadly weapon, for allegedly having attempted to shoot the young man, and with being a felon in possession of a gun.

Barnett has been convicted of two felonies, joyriding and attempted grand theft, Tyson said. At the time of the shooting, he was free on bail, awaiting sentencing in Long Beach Municipal Court after pleading guilty to an auto theft charge.