18-year-old who had a toy gun in car shot and killed by off-duty corrections officer, police say

• An off-duty corrections officer was arrested on charges of murder, manslaughter, and criminal possession of a weapon.
• Dion Middleton fatally shot an 18-year-old on Thursday morning, New York City police said.

An off-duty corrections officer was charged with murder hours after an 18-year-old man was fatally shot in the Bronx, New York City police said.

The officer, Dion Middleton, shot the victim, Raymond Chaluisant, in the face in the early hours of Thursday morning, police said, per The New York Times.

Middleton was arrested on charges of murder, manslaughter, and criminal possession of a weapon in connection with the shooting, police said. He pleaded not guilty and was released on bail, according to ABC News.

Middleton, who was hired as a corrections officer in 2013, was suspended immediately without pay, said the Department of Correction's commissioner Louis Molina, per NBC News.

"These very serious charges are in no way a reflection of the officers who work to keep our city safe every day," Molina said, according to the media outlet.

Chaluisant was taken to Saint Barnabas Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, NBC News reported.

Police did not describe a motive but said they found an Orbeez gun in the vehicle. Chaluisant was a passenger in the car, per ABC News.

There is no evidence that Chaluisant had fired or aimed the toy gun at anybody, police said, per The New York Times.

Orbeez guns shoot soft gel beads filled with water, and, in recent months, they have become part of the TikTok #OrbeezChallenge trend.

Shortly after the shooting, the New York Police Department tweeted that these types of guns are forbidden in New York City.

"Bead Blasters shoot gel water beads propelled by a spring-loaded air pump, making them an air rifle. Air rifles are a violation in NYC & are unlawful to possess," said the tweet.

"Violators found in possession of these will be issued a criminal summons & the weapon will be confiscated," the tweet continued.

—NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) July 21, 2022

Several other police departments have warned that using Orbeez toy guns could be considered criminal, Insider reported.

Chaluisant's mother told ABC News that she was in disbelief about how her son had died. "The kids were playing with water guns," she said. "They were playing with water guns. Somebody killed them."

Insider contacted the NYPD for comment on Saturday morning but did not immediately receive a response.