The parents of 5-year-old Cannon Hinnant want the death penalty for the alleged killer. Hinnant was shot at point blank range in the head while riding his bicycle outside his dad’s home.
“My baby didn’t deserve this,” his mother said. “I want the death penalty and I’m going to seek it.”
According to officers, Darius Sessoms, who has lived next door to Cannon’s father for eight years, approached the child as he played with his siblings, and shot him. The motive for the senseless crime is unknown.
Austin Hinnant, Cannon’s father, revealed that he and his neighbor were on good terms and even had dinner and drinks the night before. He doesn’t believe it was a racial issue.
“There wasn’t anything between me and him, any bad blood whatsoever, for him to have a reason to do this,” he said.
Sessoms, 25, is currently being held without bond. He has been charged with first degree murder which in some cases can be punished with the death penalty.
Cannon’s death sparked outrage in the small North Carolina town, many advocating that “Cannon’s life matters, amidst protests for “Black Lives Matter.”