Sister called ‘responsible’ in death

But police say little after boy, 7, found shot in LR apartment

Little Rock investigators said 7-year-old Zeus Diviaio’s older sister was “responsible” for the fatal gunshot that struck him in the chest late Monday afternoon.

Police Department spokesman Sgt. Cassandra Davis said Zeus was fatally shot by a handgun in a bedroom of his parents’ 1502 Green Mountain Drive apartment shortly after 4:30 p.m., and that homicide detectives have handed over their investigative file to the Pulaski County prosecutor’s office.

Police aren’t releasing the name of the 9-year-old sister.

Davis said she couldn’t elaborate on what was meant by “responsible” or speak to whether the shooting was accidental or intentional.

“[Detectives] are not commenting on the investigation,” Davis said.

Zeus was pronounced dead at Baptist Health Medical Center in Little Rock at 6:02 p.m., an hour and a half after he was taken there by ambulance.

According to police reports, Zeus’ parents, Dara and Guy Diviaio, had stepped out of the apartment, and locked it from the outside.

Davis said the family was moving out of the complex and, according to reports, Zeus’ parents left the apartment to fill out paperwork at the office.

They were out of the apartment for about five minutes, reports said.

When they returned, their daughter told them Zeus “was hurt,” reports said.

There was blood at the entry to the parents’ bedroom, reports said, as well as blood around the closet, where Zeus’ father told police he kept a gun case with two firearms inside.

Davis said she didn’t know whether the handgun used in the shooting was in the case or whether the case was locked at the time of the shooting.

By the time investigators arrived at the apartment, Little Rock firefighters were performing CPR on the child.

When police questioned Zeus’ sister, she told them two men “entered the apartment and shot her brother.”

But there were no signs anyone had broken in, and the door was locked when the parents returned, Davis said.

Zeus’ father told detectives his daughter had “high functioning autism” and that she “often told stories” and that he didn’t think anyone had been in the apartment.

Assistant county prosecutor John Johnson confirmed that his office had received an investigative file from Little Rock detectives, but declined to discuss the details of an ongoing case.

He said juvenile court statutes dictate that the court only has jurisdiction when trying suspects 10-18 years old.

Simply put, Johnson said, state juvenile court has no jurisdiction to accept charges for a 9-year-old.