By DNAinfo Staff
THE BRONX — Police arrested a third suspect Friday in the tragic shooting death of a 4-year-old Bronx boy.
Ronald Jeffrey, 19, of The Bronx, was arrested and charged with murder, attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon in connection with a July 22 gunfight that claimed the life of 4-year-old Lloyd Morgan, police said.
Jeffrey's arrest on Friday followed the arrests of two other men allegedly involved in the gun battle, which erupted near a Morrisania playground where Lloyd was playing. A stray bullet struck Lloyd in the head. The basketball-loving boy was known as "Little LeBron" to family.
Cops charged Rondell Pinkerton, 17, with murder and criminal possession of a weapon early Wednesday. He told investigators he fired his gun in self defense, a police source said.
Courtney Kelly, 26, was charged with criminal possession of a weapon. He was shot in the stomach during the shooting and was in stable condition at St. Barnabas Hospital Wednesday.
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said Wednesday the shootout may have been retaliation for a gun battle the night before between two warring groups of low-level drug dealers.
"One location where a group of people hang out and do low-level drug dealing against another location who do virtually the same thing," Kelly said. "This is the nature of the dispute, they diss each other."
