Members of the public who were shocked by the gunshot death of a 5-year-old boy from North Carolina last weekend contributed more than $ 560,000 to the child’s family in less than a week, according to a report.
Young Cannon Hinnant died after being shot in the head on Sunday afternoon while cycling in Wilson, North Carolina, authorities said. A neighbor, Darrius Sessoms, 25, was arrested on Monday and charged with murder in the case, they said.
The shooting mystified the family because Cannon’s father Austin Hinnant says he was friendly with the suspect and even checked out Sessoms’ elderly parents, the News & Observer of Raleigh reported.
NORTH CAROLINE CANNON HINNANT BOY, 5 YEARS OLD, PREPARED TO REST AFTER SENSATIONLESS MURDER
“I don’t know why he did what he did,” the father said of the suspect. “It was literally out of nowhere. He puts a gun on my son’s head and shoots him.
Cannon Hinnant, 5 (Hinnant family)
It was the father who ran to Cannon’s aid after the gunfire, but it was too late, the newspaper reported.
Although Sessoms is black and the Hinnant family is white, Austin Hinnant said he did not detect any race-related differences in their relationship, The Wilson Times reported.
Sessoms’ parents Garland and Carolyn claimed their son “was not himself” on Sunday and that drug-related hallucinations may have led to the shooting, The Times reported. Police did not provide a suspected reason in the case.
Cannon’s grandmother Gwen Hinnant on Wednesday launched a crowdsourcing page for the family which by early Saturday had drawn pledges of support from nearly 16,000 donors.
The page had an initial goal of $ 5,000, but far exceeded that goal.
“This family has faced unimaginable pain because of this senseless act of violence,” Gwen Hinnant wrote in a post on the page. She claimed that young Cannon didn’t bother anyone, just “doing what he would do any other day.”
Family members have said Cannon enjoys biking and spending time with his two sisters, WNCN-TV of Goldboro, NC reported.
“Just a kid trying to have fun in his own backyard and something like that happens. It’s despicable, ”said Merrill Race, the boy’s great-grandfather.
Darius Sessoms has been arrested in connection with the gunshot death of Cannon Hinnant, authorities say. (Wilson Police Department)
Hundreds of people flocked to a funeral home in Wilson on Thursday to mourn with Cannon’s family – but a community vigil scheduled for Friday night was postponed at the family’s request because they wanted more private time for cure, WNCN reported.
Some rally could be scheduled in about two weeks, according to the report.
Despite the cancellation, dozens of people still gathered outside the Wilson County courthouse, according to WNCN.
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“I don’t know the family but I want to tell the family that we love you,” a local pastor told a reporter. “We pray for you and we are with you.”
Other attendees have come from as far away as Greenville and Raleigh to be there, according to the report.
Cannon was buried Friday morning after the Thursday funeral home rally, according to the station.
Wilson is a town of about 49,000 people along Interstate 95, which runs north to south. Raleigh is approximately 50 miles to the west along Route 264 and Greenville is approximately 36 miles to the east.
