Twenty-nine-year-old Dwayne Christopher Ward surrendered at the East Los Angeles sheriff's station. He was placed under arrest for a parole violation and is being held without bail.
Ward is facing possible charges that include murder and felon in possession of a firearm.
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The man's surrender came after authorities said they'd identified the suspect one day after 3-year-old Franklin Ponros was struck by a bullet in his mother's car following an apparent argument in the parking lot of a liquor store on Alondra Boulevard.
"I applaud the Compton community for coming together to assist law enforcement in identifying the suspect alleged to have killed an innocent three-year-old. This is the first step in delivering justice," Compton Mayor Aja Brown said in a statement.
The argument that left the boy dead is believed to have been gang-related, police said.
According to detectives, the altercation began when two males were arguing in the parking lot of a liquor store. During the argument, one of the people involved began to enter an awaiting vehicle driven by his girlfriend, the mother of the boy, and then the suspect opened fire.
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Oliver Fronda, a clerk at the store, said he heard more than four gunshots.
The victims left the location in their vehicle and subsequently discovered the toddler in the car suffered a gunshot wound.
The mother of the boy drove in search of help and found deputies near a restaurant in the 17200 block of S. Central Avenue in the city of Carson.
The boy was transported to Harbor UCLA Medical Center, where he died of his injuries.
"I believe that they know each other by sight, just from being rivals in the neighborhood," sheriff's Lt. Joe Mendoza said of the two men involved in the argument that preceded the shooting. "However, as far as knowing him personally, we don't believe that that was the case."
A GoFundMe page has been created to help pay for Franklin's funeral.