A three-year-old Philadelphia boy was shot multiple times after his father allegedly used him as a “human shield” at a heroin deal three years ago.
Yaseem Jenkins, who was 11 months old at the time of the incident in 2019, passed away on Tuesday, according to his family’s GoFundMe page. The death of the 3-year-old was also confirmed by Philadelphia’s district attorney.
“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.
At the time of the shooting on Oct. 19, 2019, Yaseem was in a car with his father, Nafes Monroe, and Monroe’s girlfriend, according to investigators. They said Monroe took his son to a drug deal in the city because he was utilizing counterfeit money and thought the presence of the infant would deter any possible violence.
Another man, Francisco Ortiz, fired rounds during the exchange. He was arrested on a charge of attempted murder.
