Two teens arrested in shooting of Georgia baby in his stroller

Two teenagers have been arrested in a shooting that killed a 13-month-old boy in his stroller and wounded his mother, police in Brunswick, Ga., announced Friday.

The boys, 17 and 14 years old, were taken into custody a day after the shooting. Sherry West told reporters that the youths approached her, demanded money, and when she said she had none, they opened fire, killing her son, Antonio, in his carriage.

At a news conference, Brunswick Police Chief Tobe Green identified the suspects as Demarquis Elkins, 17, who will be charged as an adult with first-degree murder. The other suspect, 14, was not identified because of his age and he will be treated as a juvenile, Green said.

Police are searching for the weapon and a motive.

“We are turning every stone to get a motive,” Green said.

Earlier, police offered a $10,000 reward in the case and said they had received 30 leads. Police also said they were checking school attendance records to find possible suspects.

Brunswick is an oceanside city about 30 miles north of Florida.

Police spokesman Todd Rhodes said at an earlier televised news conference that the incident took place in a residential neighborhood.

“It’s a nice area, it’s a clean area, it’s an area where law-abiding citizens not only live, they also work and play,” he said.

“Much like every other city in these United States, from time to time we will have a glitch. Unfortunately, this happened here in Brunswick, Ga.,” he told reporters.

West said she and her son were returning from a trip to the post office when she saw the boys.

“A boy approached me and told me he wanted my money, and I told him I didn’t have any money,” West told reporters. “And he said, ‘Give me your money or I’m going to kill you and I’m going to shoot your baby and kill your baby,’ and I said, ‘I don’t have any money, and don’t kill my baby.’ ”

The boy tried to grab her purse and opened fire, West said, wounding her in the head and the leg.

“And then, all of a sudden, he walked over and he shot my baby in the face,” she said.

West said police performed CPR, but it was too late to save her son.

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michael.muskal@latimes.com