Relative of slain toddler arrested in killing

BELLEFONTAINE NEIGHBORS, Mo. -- A relative of a slain 3-year-old has been arrested on suspicion of killing the teenager accused of unintentionally shooting the toddler, authorities said.

Police said 17-year-old Kameron Harvey was shot Oct. 4 while riding his bike in Bellefontaine Neighbors, just north of St. Louis. Harvey was charged with manslaughter in the December 2015 death of the toddler, Xavier "Zae" Robinson, and was on house arrest while the case was prosecuted in adult court.

Police said two 17-year-olds, both males, were arrested about an hour after Harvey was killed. At least one of the teens is related to the toddler, said Detective Lt. Shawn Applegate. Both teens have been released, and Applegate said prosecutors are reviewing the case to determine whether to file charges.

"There are no winners in cases like this," Applegate said. "Both families are ripped apart and in mourning."

Authorities said Harvey was playing with the laser site on a handgun inside a home and shot the 3-year-old. Harvey was a friend of the family and 15 at the time. He ran from the home but turned himself in to police the next day.

The toddler's parents, Shawmane Robinson and Semaj Porter of Florissant, were charged with child endangerment, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Police said the parents had seen Harvey and the toddler's older brother playing with a gun the prior evening and didn't take the gun away nor check to see whether it was loaded. Their cases are pending in St. Louis County Circuit Court.

Robinson's attorney, Mark Byrne, told The Associated Press that it is "unfortunate that he had to lose his son that way and that the state feels he should be punished the way he has been thus far."

Porter's attorney didn't immediately return a phone message.