Funeral held for 1-year-old shooting victim Davell Gardner

NEW YORK - A toddler who was killed by a stray bullet in Brooklyn was remembered at his funeral Monday for the "sparkle in his eyes."

Davell Gardner Jr.'s tiny casket was decorated with cartoon characters and flanked by floral arrangements. A teddy bear and Elmo toy sat on top.

The boy was shot while he sat in a stroller at a cookout on July 12. Police said two gunmen fired into a group at about 11:30 p.m. Davell, who was in his stroller, was shot in the stomach. He died at a nearby hospital.

Three men who were part of the group suffered gunshot wounds but survived. No arrests have been announced.

The New York Post reported that the toddler's father, Davell Gardner Sr., said during the service, "My son is gone. I don't have nobody. I don't have somebody to call me 'Daddy, daddy, daddy.'"

A funeral for Davell Gardner, Jr. was held in Brooklyn on Monday, July 27, 2020. Authorities are investigating the July 12 shooting that left the 1-year-old boy dead. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

The boy's family wrote in the funeral program that Davell "smiled and showed his dimples with a sparkle in his eyes." The family members said he "is in heaven and he’s the family guardian angel. He will never be forgotten."

New York state Attorney General Letitia James attended the service and urged the person who shot Davell to come forward.

"There are individuals in this church who know who's responsible for this," James told mourners. "Black lives and the lives of babies must matter to us first and foremost."