A dispute between individuals in Florida escalated into a tragic drive-by shooting at a children’s birthday party, resulting in the death of a 3-year-old boy, according to local law enforcement. The party, which was Sesame Street-themed, was disrupted by over 20 gunshots allegedly aimed at a guest.
The Fort Lauderdale police department announced on Thursday that they have concluded their investigation into the July 2024 shooting death of toddler Rylo Yancy. All individuals implicated in the incident have been apprehended and charged with murder, as stated in a recent press release.
Andrew St. Louis, one of the suspects, was apprehended in Tennessee and appeared in court on Saturday. He faces charges of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and conspiracy to commit murder with a firearm. Co-defendants Tommie Allen, 19, Antonio Carter, 20, and Tyler Hollins, 21, are also charged with the same offenses in relation to Yancy’s death. A fifth individual, Thaddeus Squire III, has been arrested and charged as an accessory after the fact.
The fatal incident occurred around 4:30 p.m. at Riverland Park, located at 950 SW 27th Avenue in Fort Lauderdale. Investigators identified two vehicles involved in the shooting: a 2022 red Mercedes Benz sedan and a 2017 black Mercedes Benz sedan.
In police interviews, Squire admitted to driving one of the vehicles, with Hollins as his passenger, as confirmed by court depositions and a witness who had met with the pair earlier that day. Squire identified Hollins, also known as “Freak” or “T-Freak,” as the shooter in his vehicle. He provided investigators with details of their route through the park and the events leading up to the shooting, corroborated by the female witness.
The witness, in a July 8 Zoom deposition, claimed that the suspects in the red Mercedes were brandishing a gun and making threatening jokes. She also alleged that Hollins was waving a firearm and joking about shooting with the individuals in the red car. According to Squire’s statement to the police, they had learned that their rivals were present at Riverland Park and decided to confront them after seeing a social media post revealing their location.
After the shooting, the female witness contacted Squire for information. During her deposition, she claimed that Squire admitted to the shooting, stating that they had intended to target a rival but had accidentally hit the toddler instead.
Charges were filed against Hollins and Squire in March, while the other suspects were charged this month, accused of being in the second Mercedes. The victim’s grandfather, Herrold Pough, expressed his ongoing grief to a local Miami station, stating, “I can never heal, just when you think you are getting over it the rain comes storming again.”
FLPD Sgt. Don Geiger revealed last week that the dispute originated from an argument and the intended target was a guest at the party. He condemned the suspects’ actions, stating, “Because of the acts of these cowards right here, a baby is killed because they had a beef with someone else at the party and they couldn’t control their anger.”