‘It’s the wrong house’: Police raid in Ohio house sends 17-month-old to ICU; mayor calls for investigation

In a shocking incident in the US state of Ohio, a 17-month-old toddler was admitted to the ICU after sustaining burns during a police raid where officers deployed flash-bang devices. The mayor of the city of Elyria has since ordered an investigation into the incident after a woman alleged that police officers who raided her home had the wrong address.

‘It’s the wrong house’

The police and the resident have given conflicting accounts of what happened on January 10, during the raid on a residence in the 300 block of Parmely Avenue.

In a statement, on Friday (Jan 12) the Ohio police said that they executed a search warrant at the correct address as part of a criminal investigation and the child did not “sustain any apparent, visible injuries.”

However, the toddler’s mother Courtney Price told NBC News that audio from her security camera says otherwise. In the audio shared with the media, on Tuesday (Jan 16) someone can be heard saying, “It’s the wrong house.”

It was not immediately clear who made the remark as the police deployed flashbangs also known as stun grenades – a device that produces a bright flash and a loud noise to stun or disorient people without causing serious injury.

The police broke a window and deployed the device near her 17-month-old son Waylon who was already on a ventilator. “All I seen was lights flashing and smoke coming into the house,” she told CBS News.

“I didn’t know what to do because there was guns pointed at me. I wanted to run to him, but I knew if I ran to him...they could’ve shot,” Price added. According to media reports, Courtney and her son were the only ones home at the time of the raid.

“I kept screaming, ‘My baby, my baby is on a ventilator. My baby’s in here’,” Price said.

Speaking to the local media, Reida Jennings, who rented the house to the Price family said the mother and her son were staying with her as Waylon waited for his surgery for a heart defect.

“The baby is now in the ICU. He’s got burns all over him, inside of his lungs are burned,” Jennings told WJW.

She said that the Ring camera footage showed that the flashbang hit Waylon and alleged that the police let the toddler “lay there for about 35 to 45 minutes in the smoke.”

‘Serious and disturbing’

Elyria Mayor Kevin Brubaker called the incident “serious and disturbing.” He added, “The allegations against our police department are extreme and deeply concerning…I have ordered a complete review of the incident and requested all information be released to the public as soon as possible.”

The mayor’s office released over two hours of footage from the body cams worn by eight officers, on Tuesday (Jan 16).

Price told WOIO that Waylon had been diagnosed with chemical pneumonitis after the raid which she said was caused due to the chemicals released by the flash-bangs.

The Elyria Police Department has since denied the allegations. “Any allegation suggesting the child was exposed to chemical agents, lack of medical attention or negligence is not true,” said the police in a statement.

Jennings told WOIO that the family plans to take legal action against the police department.

(With inputs from agencies)