Milwaukee Police announced on Tuesday that three men have been arrested in the murder of 5-year-old Laylah Petersen. An emotional police chief Edward Flynn said the investigation into the death of the little girl – who was killed in an errant drive-by while sitting on her grandfather’s lap last November – had hit the department hard.
“I’ve been carrying something around with me for a year, and it’s Layla,” the chief said, taking a button with the a picture of the child out his uniform pocket during the press conference. “I’d like to think we can put her to rest now.”
Flynn said the suspects, 24-year-old Paul T. Farr, 20-year-old Carl L. Barrett and 23-year-old Arlis W. Gordon, were at the wrong house – four blocks away from their intended target, a residence where they thought they would find a man who’d been acquitted of killing Gordon’s brother. Gordon and Barrett, the suspected shooters, face first-degree reckless homicide charges. Farr, accused of driving the pair to and from the shooting scene, is charged with two counts of harboring and aiding a felon.
Layla’s dad, R.J. Petersen, spoke on the family’s behalf, thanking the police and community “I got the first peaceful night’s sleep I’ve had in a very long time, and I would like to thank them from the bottom of my heart, for finally bringing some justice for Layla.”
