A resident of CAMBA Gardens Phase 2 on Winthrop Street in East Flatbush reacted in shock Friday at word a little boy's death earlier in the week was now being treated as a homicide.

"Every time you see her, she got her kids, so I was like, 'It's a homicide'?" said Nika, who would only give her first name.

Other residents were distraught, already saddened by the news that a child in their housing complex had died Tuesday.

But on Friday, the NYPD confirmed that one-year old Aidenn Joyette's death was not of natural causes. Police said the toddler suffered internal injuries from an assault.

"Those are our kids, this is our community, and for one of us to lose them, it's heartbreaking," said another woman walking her dog outside the building.

It was Tuesday around 10 a.m. when police said Aidenn's mother called 911, saying she couldn't wake her little boy up. After being rushed to Kings County Hospital, which is literally right next door, the boy was declared dead.

Some residents said they thought nothing was amiss when they saw Aidenn's mother and the children living with her. One man said he had just seen the woman and the three children who live with her the day before the toddler died.

"We held the door for them, we just said hi, it was casual," he said. "I mean, we didn't think anything tragic was about to happen."

Another woman described what she saw when police were in the apartment where the boy lived. Lisa Diaz was visiting her niece, who lives in the unit beside Aidenn's family.

"They had the bag with whatever inside the bag. But when the police officer came by to leave the area, she had a pair of sneakers, a men's sneaker, in her hand," Diaz said.

The nonprofit organization CAMBA developed and manages the property, which provides affordable housing with supportive services for formerly homeless families, people with disabilities, and individuals requiring mental and behavioral health care.

Police said they had no record of trouble in the household before the boy's death.

Residents say the oldest of the three children, a boy, has Down Syndrome.

A spokesman for the city's Administration for Children's Services says the agency is now involved to ensure the safety of the other children.