Two men arrested for shooting and killing four-year-old boy as he played with his stuffed toys on the front lawn 

  • Darron Daniels, 20, and Maurice Kelley, 25, were taken into custody Friday
  • Accused of killing Daniel Munoz outside his home in Highlands, California
  • The youngster was taken to hospital but died a short time later
  • Authorities are still trying to figure out the motive behind the shooting  
  • Police have been grappling with gang crime in the city of 54,000 people  

By Wills Robinson For Dailymail.com and Associated Press

Published: 14:12 EST, 31 July 2015 | Updated: 17:33 EST, 31 July 2015

Two men were arrested in the killing of a four-year-old California boy who was shot while playing with a stuffed animal in his family's front yard.

Darron Daniels, 20, and Maurice Kelley, 25, were taken into custody for investigation of murder and attempted murder after Daniel Munoz was killed, San Bernardino County sheriff's authorities said.

Daniel was outside his family's house Wednesday in the inland city of Highland when shots were fired. The boy was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Darron Daniels, 20, and Maurice Kelley, 25, were taken into custody for investigation of murder and attempted murder after four-year-old Daniel Munoz (pictured) was killed

Darron Daniels, 20, and Maurice Kelley, 25, were taken into custody for investigation of murder and attempted murder after four-year-old Daniel Munoz (pictured) was killed

Investigators have not discussed a motive for the shooting. They said Friday they were looking for a four-door, 1990s white Toyota Camry with black bumpers.

Sheriff's deputies declined to provide any additional information.

Daniels and Kelley are expected to appear in court on Monday. It was not immediately known if either man had a lawyer.

Highland, a city of 54,000 people in the foothills 60 miles east of Los Angeles, has been grappling with a rise in violent crime. 

Last year, authorities arrested more than 100 people in a crackdown on gangs in the city, the Los Angeles Times reported.

On Wednesday, Daniel was playing with a stuffed bear he called Superman while family members picked fruit and watered plants in the front yard, the newspaper said.

His mother, Yuliana Morales, had taken an elder sibling and cousins to an amusement park and promised the boy he could go next time, the Times said.

'It's my fault for leaving him here,' she said.

Daniel was outside his family's house Wednesday in the inland city of Highland when shots were fired

Daniel was outside his family's house Wednesday in the inland city of Highland when shots were fired

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