Two arrested in fatal Easter shooting of 3-year-old Armani Lyons

A 3-year-old boy was shot in the head while he was supposed to be safe with a babysitter in southwest Atlanta, and police now say two adults, Barbara Edwards, 71, and Jermaine Hardeman, 35, are behind bars in the killing of Armani Lyons.

Investigators said the shooting happened shortly after 12:40 a.m. on Easter Sunday, April 5, at or near the 900 block of Washington Street SW, inside the babysitter’s apartment. Armani was rushed to the hospital, but he later died. Atlanta police said they had probable cause to obtain arrest warrants for Edwards and Hardeman, and both were charged with felony murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and second-degree cruelty to children.

The hardest part of this case is the custody chain around Armani. His family said they had used the same babysitter since he was an infant and had never had safety concerns. His parent had left him with the babysitter while working, turning what should have been a routine overnight arrangement into a fatal crime scene. Police have not publicly laid out exactly how the shooting unfolded, what connection, if any, Edwards and Hardeman had to Armani, or whether the shot was fired during a targeted act, reckless behavior, or a broader dispute involving the adults in the apartment.

That uncertainty has fueled the anger around the case. Family and friends held a vigil for Armani to remember the child and press for answers, and relatives asked anyone with surveillance video from the area to come forward. A GoFundMe was also launched to help with burial expenses as the family tried to cope with a death that shocked even a city already numb to violence.

Assistant Chief Carven Tyus called Armani’s death a “tragic incident.” The killing was one of several youth shootings during what became a particularly violent Easter weekend in Atlanta, adding another young name to a grim list that the city is now struggling to explain.

By April 14, Edwards was in custody after turning herself in, with Fulton County Jail records showing she was booked that Tuesday. The case remained under active investigation as detectives worked to reconstruct the final hours before Armani was shot.