In the quiet, early morning hours of August 28, 2018, in Halethorpe, Maryland, a terrible tragedy unfolded, forever altering the lives of a young family. Two-year-old Tyree Ryder Flint, a male child, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. The devastating incident occurred in a home on Bero Road, where the toddler was staying with his mother.
Just after 3 a.m., Tyree's mother made a frantic 911 call, reporting that her son was in cardiac arrest.
Emergency responders rushed to the scene and transported the young boy to a local hospital, but his injuries were too severe, and he was pronounced dead shortly before 4 a.m. The initial shock and grief soon gave way to a police investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fatal shooting.
Investigators determined that a 25-year-old man named Shaquiel Malquan Griffin had been staying in a spare bedroom of the home. It was discovered that Griffin had concealed a loaded handgun in that room. During the night, while others in the house were asleep, young Tyree left his mother's room and wandered into the spare bedroom. There, he found the loaded firearm and accidentally shot himself.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Griffin fled the scene before police arrived. However, he was apprehended a short time later. Authorities charged him with a number of offenses, including involuntary manslaughter, leaving a firearm where a minor could gain access, illegal possession of a regulated firearm, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. At the time of his arrest, Griffin also had outstanding warrants in both Baltimore County and Baltimore City. He was subsequently held without bail at the Baltimore County Detention Center.
