‘What's funny? My baby is dead!' Mother of toddler killed has outburst in court

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A bond hearing for the teen accused of killing a toddler got heated when the mother of the victim had an emotional outburst in the courtroom.

T'Rhigi Diggs, 3, was shot and killed on Easter night while sitting in a car outside a gas station at Eastland and Bouldercrest roads in DeKalb County.

Authorities arrested 15-year-old Christopher Cullins in the shooting in April. Officers said Cullins was retaliating against someone who shot paintballs at him and his family. He missed and hit Diggs by mistake.

Channel 2's Tyisha Fernandes was in court Friday when the suspect, his family and the family of the victim appeared in court.

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At one point, Fernandes said a relative of the suspect laughed and smirked, and the Diggs' mother jumped up and said, "What's funny? My baby is dead!’"

Court officers rushed them out.

Victim's relatives said the suspect’s family started taunting them as soon as they stepped off the elevator to enter the courtroom.

“It hurts, and it bothers me the fact that we have to get off to you guys laughing, I know that’s your family but have some kind of sympathy for a baby that you took – it’s a baby,” said one of the victim’s family members.

Cullins' defense attorney said Cullins did not fire the fatal shot.

"There was more than one witness who stated that they heard multiple gunshots," he said.

Investigators say Cullins admitted he fired a shot at the people who were shooting paintballs, but they still haven't located the gun.

Diggs' grandmother told Fernandes that moving forward, they just have to ignore the suspect's family.

"They're just being rude and we gotta be strong and go in there and be there for T'Rhigi. This is for T'Rhigi. We want justice for him," she said.

Cullins will stay in jail for now. He is charged with murder as an adult.

Cox Media Group