ST. LOUIS – Homicide detectives with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department believe a mother tried to frame her 2-year-old son for the shooting death of the child’s father.

According to a probable cause statement, the shooting happened around 8:40 p.m. on Nov. 11, 2021, at an apartment in the 1400 block of Castle Lane, located in the Peabody–Darst–Webbe neighborhood.

Police arrived to find Korey Davidson dead inside the apartment with a gunshot wound to his back. The only people at the residence were Davidson, Breunshaye McKinney, and their 2-year-old son.

McKinney initially told investigators that the child somehow got access to a rifle and accidentally shot Davidson.

Police claim the firearm used to kill Davidson was an AK-style rifle with a 5.5-pound trigger pull weight. Detectives tested both McKinney and the child for the presence of gun powder residue. The 2-year-old’s clothes and hands tested negative, while McKinney tested positive.

The St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office charged McKinney, 33, with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. A warrant was issued for her arrest on May 10.

Anyone with information on McKinney’s whereabouts is asked to contact the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.