Armani Deshawn Lyons, age 3, a boy from Atlanta, Georgia, was killed in the early hours of Easter Sunday, April 5, 2026, after he was shot at an apartment complex in southwest Atlanta. Police said the shooting happened shortly after midnight near the 900 block of Washington Street SW, in the area of Washington Street and Hatcher Avenue. Armani had been left at the apartment with a longtime babysitter while his mother, Dinisha Lyons, went to work at the airport.
Within hours, what was supposed to be a routine night of childcare turned into a frantic call from police telling his mother to get to Grady Memorial Hospital.
When Atlanta officers arrived, Armani had been shot at least once, with early police statements saying he suffered a gunshot wound to the head. Emergency responders rushed him to the hospital, but he was pronounced dead. Neighbors described a chaotic and terrifying scene, with crime scene tape stretched across the entrance of the apartment building and one witness saying they saw an officer carrying a young child in their arms toward a patrol car. Armani’s family later said he would have turned four on May 3.
In the first days after the shooting, investigators said they were still trying to determine how the gunfire happened and who was responsible. Atlanta Police Assistant Chief Carven Tyus said Armani had been left with a babysitter in her 70s while his parent was at work, and that “somehow” the child ended up with a gunshot wound to the head. Police initially questioned the babysitter as a witness and said they believed other people may have been inside the apartment at the time, but those people had not yet been identified publicly. Authorities also said it was not immediately clear whether the shot came from inside the apartment or from outside the building.
As the investigation developed, Atlanta homicide detectives said they established probable cause to arrest 71-year-old Barbara Edwards and 35-year-old Jermaine Hardeman in connection with Armani’s death. Edwards was identified by Armani’s mother as the babysitter caring for him when the shooting happened. Police obtained arrest warrants for both Edwards and Hardeman, and both were accused of felony murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and second-degree cruelty to children. Later reports said both suspects had been arrested.
Authorities have not publicly released a full account of what they believe happened inside the apartment before Armani was shot, and they have not clearly explained how Edwards and Hardeman were connected to each other or to Armani beyond Edwards’ role as the babysitter. Police also had not disclosed who allegedly fired the weapon, whether the shooting was intentional or reckless, or what led detectives to conclude both suspects should face murder charges. The case remained described as an ongoing investigation.
Armani’s family said the babysitter had cared for him since he was an infant and that they had not previously had concerns about his safety there. That familiarity made the loss even harder for his loved ones to understand. His mother described dropping him off before work and then receiving the devastating call that sent her to the hospital. She said he was a joyful child who loved monster trucks and Spider-Man, and she questioned why anyone would hurt a child who had not even had the chance to truly live.
In the days after his death, Armani’s relatives and community members gathered to remember him and call for justice. His family described him as full of life, joy, and innocence, someone who brought smiles to the people around him. Loved ones urged anyone with surveillance footage or information from the area to come forward, hoping that investigators could piece together exactly what happened in the apartment that night. A fundraiser was also created to help with funeral and burial costs as the family prepared to lay him to rest while still waiting for answers.
