A Philadelphia toddler shot a number of occasions three years in the past after his father allegedly took him to a drug deal as a “human shield” has died.
Yaseem Jenkins, who was 11 months outdated at the time of the 2019 taking pictures, died Tuesday, his household stated on a GoFundMe web page. Philadelphia’s district legal professional additionally confirmed the 3-year-old’s dying.
“We are awaiting a medical examiner’s report on the cause of death, but we have reason to believe the cause of death is his original injury from that shooting,” Larry Krasner said at a news conference.
“I want to express my deepest condolences for the loss of Yaseem to his family. This is a tough moment,” he stated.
Investigators said Yaseem was in a car with his father, Nafes Monroe, and Monroe’s girlfriend at the time of the Oct. 19, 2019 shooting. They allege that Monroe brought his son to a drug deal in the city because he was using counterfeit money and believed that the baby’s presence would prevent any potential violence.
During the exchange, another man, Francisco Ortiz, fired shots. He was charged with attempted murder.
The baby was shot in the head, torso and rear of his body. The district attorney’s office said in 2019 that Monroe knew using fake money would anger the drug dealer and used the child as what they characterized as a “human defend.”
“It’s our perception and our investigation has led us to consider that he deliberately had his youngster with him when he was making such varieties of purchases with the concept or perception that if somebody noticed that he had a baby in the automobile, that they might not hearth upon him,” an official with the Philadelphia Assistant District Attorney’s Homicide Unit said in a 2019 news conference.
Monroe was charged with recklessly endangering one other particular person and endangering the welfare of a kid. He (*3*)pleaded responsible to each counts. His legal professional didn’t instantly reply to a request for touch upon Saturday.
Krasner said at the news conference that if it’s determined that Yaseem died from injuries related to the shooting, additional charges could be filed in the case.