In yet another reminder that social mores are rapidly decaying, a mother of five was charged in connection to the shooting death of her 3-year-old son after allegedly lying about it to authorities.
Dallas police charged 26-year-old Lacravionne Washington with manslaughter and child endangerment stemming from the March 28 death of her son, Jalexus Washington Jr., KDFW-TV reported on Tuesday.
Washington initially told authorities that her toddler had been shot in the head by a stranger in a road rage incident. After investigating the charges, police found no evidence to back up her version of events.
However, officers did find evidence indicating that the gunshot had come from inside the car.
An autopsy also later revealed that the toddler had been shot at close range and the gunshot could not have come from a passing car.
Police have not revealed who they think pulled the trigger.
Update: Homicide of Three-Year-Old Boy
On 4/12/22, DPD charged Lacravivonne Washington w/ Manslaughter in connection to the death of a three-year-old.
Washington is out on bail for previous charges filed in this case. Anyone with info on her whereabouts is asked to contact DPD
— Dallas Police Dept (@DallasPD) April 13, 2022
Making matters worse, Washington has changed her version of events several times, police say.
According to the arrest affidavit, she initially claimed she didn’t own a gun. However, police found a gun in her glove compartment.
At the time of the shooting, Washington was driving around with two other toddlers, ages 4 and 2, in addition to her 3-year-old son.
There were no child safety seats in her car, as is required by Texas law for children under the age of 8, police say.
Shortly after the shooting death, Washington wrote a lengthy social media post bemoaning her loss.
“I’m hurt! I’m weak! I’m lost ! I’m going to go crazy! I can’t [bear] this!” she wrote, according to the Daily Mail. “My baby! My baby! My baby! My baby! I’m sick ! Come back! I need you twin. My baby y’all!”
She continued: “I’m not okay I’ll never be okay! I love you so much! You knew that! Lord I’ll never be okay! I can’t take this! Lord ! Lord! He was ONLY THREE. Give him BACK!”
Washington then requested prayers and asked for space.
‘I’m f***d up ! I carried you nine months son! No way you check out on me like that!” she wrote. “I WAS ONLY GIVEN THREE YEARS. Please don’t ask if I’m okay! I’m not okay! I won’t be okay! MY BABY TOOK HIS LAST BREATH IN MY ARMS. Just pray for us! We need it! My baby.”
An arrest affidavit shows 26 year old Lacravivonne Washington was charged with endangering a child for driving a car with multiple children unrestrained and having a firearm accessible. @CBSDFW pic.twitter.com/tOe389a1Cy
— Andrea Lucia (@CBS11Andrea) March 31, 2022
There are so many things wrong with this incident it’s hard to know where to begin.
First, according to the police account, this is an unfit mom who endangered her toddlers by not securing them in child safety seats.
Second, authorities wasted valuable time on a wild goose chase because Washington allegedly lied about a “road rage incident.”
In addition to being a waste of tax dollars, that also diverted police resources from actual crime-fighting. This endangers public safety.
Third, Washington’s surviving children appear to be growing up in the midst of the instability she breeds with her erratic behavior. Eventually, they will become society’s burden — unless their lives are miraculously changed by some outside force. But how likely is that?
Our society is collapsing at an alarming pace, precipitated in large part by the breakdown of the American family.
We have become desensitized to senseless violence and a breakdown in civility. Sadly, there’s every indication that things will only get worse in the coming months and years ahead.