A 17-month-old baby with a heart condition was seriously injured after police in Ohio allegedly raided the wrong home.

A large group of officers with the Elyria Police Special Response Team reportedly were searching for a teen facing weapons charges.

The Post Millennial reports:

Courtney Price, the baby’s mother, told reporters that her baby son suffered from chemical burns as well as a lack of oxygen after police had thrown flashbang grenades into her home, WKYC reports. Price additionally said the police had raided the wrong residence entirely.

Elyria Police have denied the accusations, claiming that the raid was carried out at the right house and that the child did not sustain any injuries.

Reida Jennings, who rents the home where the raid occurred, said that the baby boy has “got burns all over him” and that the “inside of his lungs are burned.”

“He’s already a special-needs baby,” she explained, per FOX 8. “He’s a trach baby. He was on his ventilator, they let the baby lay there for about 35 to 45 minutes in the smoke.”

“As they are banging on the door, they throw the flash bang through the window and it goes over top of here and hits the baby. The baby is covered in glass,” Jennings said.

Jennings said police were “looking for I think a teenager, to my knowledge,” and that upon hearing the boy’s name, “it sounded familiar because they had been here five times the past year looking for that family and that boy.”

“When they entered the door, they seen mine and my husband’s picture on the wall,” Jennings claimed. “My husband’s black and they had the picture of the boy and he’s a black boy and he said, ‘well, they have to be related.'”

RedState contributor and host of “A Fresh Perspective” podcast Jeff Charles provided a detailed thread of the situation and allegations against the Elyria Police.

“Meet Courtney Price and her 17-month-old son Waylon. She was taking care of her baby when Ohio’s @ElyriaPolice
SWAT team showed up at her home, threw a flashbang grenade into the residence, then broke the door in. It was the wrong home,” Charles wrote.

“After breaking into the home, the officers led Courtney outside in handcuffs while her baby was still inside. Waylon suffered serious injuries from the flashbang and was diagnosed with chemical pneumonitis, which is inflammation of the lungs,” he continued.

“To make matters worse, Waylon suffers from a condition that requires him to be fed through a feeding tube since he cannot eat with his mouth. He was born prematurely and has a slew of health issues which were exacerbated by the flashbang grenade,” he continued.

“Police Chief Bill Pelko denied that the officers had the wrong house because they went to the address on the search warrant. He also claimed that the officer did not throw the flashbang into the home, but threw it outside the home,” he continued.

“Unfortunately for them, video footage from the neighbor’s house clearly shows the officer throwing the grenade into the home,” he continued.

“Even further, the person the officers were looking for hadn’t lived in that home in over two years. In fact, officers had shown up at the house on five occasions looking for him and were told that he now lives down the street. They had no reason to show up at this home,” he continued.

“Waylon had been in ICU, but is now in a regular unit. But there is no telling when Courtney will be able to bring him home. Now, the family is seeking justice for the child,” he continued.

“Also, the police threw Waylon’s medical equipment on the floor while searching the home. The equipment is supposed to be sanitized, which means the family has to purchase new equipment,” he continued.

“The family has set up a GoFundMe. Click here to help them obtain new equipment for Waylon,” he continued.

Charles provided a statement from Elyria Mayor Kevin Brubaker:

From the Mayor’s Office:

I take seriously allegations of police misconduct. When those allegations involve a child I become deeply concerned.

When I first became aware of the allegations regarding the search warrant on Parmely Ave., I instructed my team to immediately gather all available information, including bodycam footage.

My team and I are reviewing that footage now. While there is a standard process of redacting personal information to protect residents’ privacy before such footage can be released, I have requested that process be expedited.

All bodycam footage of this incident will be released to the public to the fullest extent permitted by law. I want you all to have the facts and know exactly what occurred in this situation.

In the meantime, my thoughts are with Baby Waylon. As a father myself, my heart goes out to any child struggling with special health needs. Please join me in sharing a thought or prayer for him.

More to come. Take care.
-Mayor Brubaker

“Her baby son is improving, but they still are not sure when they will be able to bring him home. The family appreciates the tremendous support they have received from everyone. We will continue fighting to make sure Elyria’s law enforcement agency does the right thing and takes responsibility for what it did to this mother and child,” Charles wrote Sunday.

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