A 25-year-old man is in custody charged in connection with the death of 2-year-old Khy’ree McDonald, the toddler who was fatally shot in South Dallas on April 23 while playing on the floor with his toys. The arrest came three weeks after the shooting, following an intensive manhunt that ended when investigators tracked the suspect through his social media accounts.
Khy’ree McDonald was shot at approximately 1:20 p.m. on April 23 in the 1700 block of Hemphill Drive in East Oak Cliff. Officers found the toddler suffering from a gunshot wound and rushed him to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux called the death a heartbreaking and unacceptable loss at the time. The child’s identity was later confirmed by the Dallas County Medical Examiner.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, the toddler found a gun inside an unzipped backpack that belonged to 25-year-old Toderick Austin. The document states that Khy’ree was playing on the floor with his toys when the shooting occurred, while his mother sat on the bed scrolling through her phone and Austin was in the bathroom brushing his teeth. Austin fled the scene before officers arrived.
The Dallas Police Department’s Child Abuse Unit coordinated with the Violent Crimes, Safer Streets and Fugitive Task Force units to locate Austin. Investigators caught a break by examining his social media accounts, which led them to his location. Detectives also identified 18-year-old Jayveion Burnley as a known associate of Austin. Officers executed a search warrant at a location tied to both suspects and took them into custody. Multiple firearms and illegal narcotics were recovered during the operation.
Austin faces charges of Making a Firearm Accessible to a Child Resulting in Death or Serious Bodily Injury and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Felon. Burnley was charged with Possession of Prohibited Weapons. The investigations are ongoing under case numbers 057714-2026 and 060544-2026.
“This was a tremendously heartbreaking case,” Dallas police said in a statement.