5 Cannon Hinnant was allegedly killed when a neighbor walked up to him and shot him at point-blank range Credit: GoFundMe I will burn this country down if its what itll take to see this man burn in hell. Darius Sessoms, 25, was taken into custody Monday charged with first degree murder in the death of the boy, . Next, we searched for evidence of an alleged scheme on the part of mainstream news organizations to eschew covering Hinnant's death because it did not fit within an alleged "preferred race narrative.". Assistant District Attorney Joel Stadiem reportedly argued that the evidence shown to Judge Wiggins in private illustrated that Sessoms showed unusual depravity of the mind. He reportedly added that there was no precedent for a case where a defendant has walked over to a 5-year-old playing in his own yard and walked up to that child and intentionally shot this child in the head.. hitType: 'event', The now-shuttered group was titled 'Justice for Darius Sessoms' where social media users called Sessoms a "political prisoner" and also accused the "system" of "persecuting him unjustly," reports Breitbart. ga('ads.send', { Copyright 2023 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. He was merely doing what he would do any other day and that's playing with his sisters, riding his bike, doing what kids do and all of the innocence that comes with . We all. The Wilson Police Department wrote in a press release, Sessoms has been charged with 1st Degree Murder and received no bond. }); It's devastating. We are asking for your donations to assist with anything that may be needed for expenses related to his services. If he is found guilty, first-degree murder charges can incur the death penalty in North Carolina. Gwen Hinnant said that with the money from their GoFundMe page which has raised around $748,965 as of Monday, August 17, the . His dad, Austin Hinnant, said he scooped him up in my arms and I held him. Based on that statement, Wilson police believed Sessoms fatally shot a 5-year-old child on Aug. 9, and then fled. Aspreviously reportedby Law&Crime, the Wilson Police Department and Emergency Medical Services personnel responded to a 911 call at Austin Hinnants residence on Archers Road on the afternoon of Aug. 9, 2020. This material may not be reproduced without permission. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Cannon Hinnant was shot and killed while playing outside his father's house on Archers Road. "A 5 year old boy was executed in cold blood in America and the media is hiding it because it doesnt fit their preferred race narrative," one Twitter account posted. pg.acq.push(function() { window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotOnload', function(event) { eventAction: 'view' Darius Sessoms is a North Carolina felon with pending drug-related cases who is accused of shooting and killing Cannon Hinnant, the 5-year-old son of his neighbor, in the childs front yard. if(document.querySelector("#adunit")){ In August 2020, conservative Americans launched a social media campaign to call attention to the shooting death of 5-year-old Cannon Hinnant in North Carolina a murder of a white child they claimed received little media attention compared to the recent killings of Black men by American police. },false) While appropriating phrases from the country's social movement to end racism in policing, such as "#SayHisName," the underlying claims of the posts were these: A Black man, 25-year-old Darius Sessoms, was implicated in the shooting death of Hinnant on Aug. 9, 2020, in Wilson, North Carolina, and mainstream news outlets purposefully omitted covering the death because the child was white. He touched everybody he knew, Waddell said, adding: This man took my girls when he took my baby. window.adsContainer = {"position2":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Above_Next_Rel","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position3":{"code":"Article_Mobile_300x250_ATF_Rel","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position4":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle_Rel","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position5":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle1_Rel","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position6":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle2_Rel","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position7":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle3_Rel","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position8":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle4_Rel","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position9":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle5_Rel","max_width":320,"max_height":250},"position10":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle6_Rel","max_width":320,"max_height":250},"position11":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle7_Rel","max_width":320,"max_height":250},"position12":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle8_Rel","max_width":320,"max_height":250},"position13":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle9_Rel","max_width":320,"max_height":250},"position14":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle10_Rel","max_width":320,"max_height":250},"position15":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle11_Rel","max_width":320,"max_height":250},"position16":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle12_Rel","max_width":320,"max_height":250}} eventAction: 'view' Another made a comment on the crowdfunding that the Hinnant family was going to receive and said, "Not surprised the parents are cashing in were going to find out later that he was provoked or somehow set up. People offered tributes to the boy, with some saying his race meant he was getting less attention nationally. Im ready to flip this county upside down, she added. He hopes he can encourage other changemakers who need a little support getting started. eventAction: 'click_adunit' - YouTube Be sure to like and subscribe! On their own property." Cannon was playing as his two sisters watched on when he apparently rode into Sessoms' yard, located inWilson, located roughly 50 miles east of Raleigh. . ", We had earlier reported Cannon's mother, Bonny Waddell, has said that she will be seeking the death penalty against the suspect who allegedly shot Cannon at point-blank range while he rode his bicycle on Sunday, August 9, night. Darius Sessoms agreed to an Alford plea in the first-degree murder of 5-year-old Cannon Hinnant on Thursday, according to local news outlets. Accessed 13 August 2020. Darius Sessoms, Cannon Hinnant (Wilson Police Department/GoFundMe) The father of five-year-old Cannon Hinnant, who was shot dead in his own yard on August 9, had dinner and shared beers with his son's alleged murderer before the tragic incident. A grand jury in Wilson County on Wednesday returned a true bill of indictment for one count of first-degree murder against Darius N. Sessoms, 25, for fatally shooting young Cannon Hinnant in the summer of 2020, Durham ABC affiliate WTVD reported. I screamed for somebody to help me, Cannons father told CNN affiliate WRAL. One user responded to the post which mocked Cannon's name, saying, "Plain and simple, you're a s***bag white trash c**t b**h who is joking about a 5 yr old child being murdered because he's white. }) window.googletag.cmd.push(function() { I want death penalty and Im gonna seek it., The mother also took to Facebook to share that her sons killer will answer to me. 1995 - 2023 by Snopes Media Group Inc. MEAWW is an initialism for Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide. Darius Sessoms is a North Carolina native who is accused of shooting five-year-old Cannon Hinnant at point blank range while he played in his father's . Witness Doris Lybrand said Sessoms ran up to Cannon in the yard over the weekend and put the gun to his head. Wilson. According to a report from The Wilson Times, Judge Wiggins told the court that he reviewed memoranda from prosecutors and defense attorneys, as well as physical and testimonial evidence presented both in open court and in camera (i.e., in private). For that, we reached out to the news organizations to ask why they had not covered Hinnant's death and what factors go into those type of editorial decisions, and we will update this report when or if we hear back from them. As a nonprofit, Beaux & Paws would be able to deliver even more bow ties to animals in need. I just dont understand why he did it, she reportedly said. No mother should have to go through this.". A neighbortold WRALthat Sessoms and Cannon's father even had dinner together on Saturday night. News, NBC News, and ABC News ignored Hinnant's death. WRAL reported that Sessoms lived with his parents and that Austin Hinnant, who has lived next door for eight years, has no idea why his son was killed. Baby Mia Jade Riley: Parents Lani and Tom Riley speak out after dog attack killed their 5-week-old infant, 'We have lots to reveal': Madeleine McCann lookalike Julia Wandelt posts footage of meeting with PI probing claims, Kyle Sambrook: Hiker falls 100ft to death while carrying his dog in one hand through 'appalling' weather, Killer mom Lindsay Clancy was suffering from drug withdrawal and had 'worst side effects,' says friend, Bruce Willis's mom Marlene 'not sure if her son still recognizes her' as 'aggressiveness' creeps in. To help the animals affected by the devastating wildfires in Australia, hes planning on crafting koala mittens and joey pouches. 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Cannon has two sisters, ages 8 and 7, and they both saw their brothers shooting, the childrens mother told WRAL-TV. "He had the biggest smile, the biggest eyes. Subsequently, the young boy was taken to Wilson Medical Center, where he died. According to his family, Cannon loved his bikes, siblings, animals, and being outside. }); A Facebook group reportedly supported Darius Sessoms, 25, the alleged killer of 5-year-old Cannon Hinnant who was murdered after being shot at point-blank range on August 9. She said Sessoms killing her son made us suffer for the rest of our lives.. The page says the GoFundMe page was established with the family's . "It just became too expensive for me to help him make the impact he was striving for." Aolani Pettit, Sessoms' girlfriend at the time of the murder, pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice. Prestigiacomo, Amanda. }); Has a Go Fund Me been set up for Darius? window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotOnload', function(event) { "He had the biggest heart. Jerry Lambe is a journalist at Law&Crime. Accessed 14 August 2020. ga('create', 'UA-67136960-15', 'auto', 'ads'); 13 August 2020. A GoFundMe Page Was Set up to Help the Boy's Family With Funeral Expenses GoFundMe Cannon Hinnant. In the beginning, we were using our own funds, says Joy, Sir Darius mom. I Can Already Hear the Whining: Florida Sheriff Mandates No Masks for Deputies. "Police: NC Man Shot 5-Year-Old Neighbor Cannon Hinnant in the Head at Point-Blank Range." hitType: 'event', The story of Beaux & Paws from Sir Darius interview on GoFundMes podcast, True Stories of Good People: The story of how 13-year-old Sir Darius started helping animals began long before Hurricane Harvey and Irma hit. }); We have a right for out kids to play in their yards, to exist without the hate, and to live in peace. Sessoms is in the custody of the Wilson County Sheriffs Department, according to online records. According to National File, the justice for Darius Sessoms page was likely started by an anti-Black Lives Matter troll, but the group soon garnered almost 20,000 members and became a forum for posts from BLM sympathizers genuinely expressing support for the murderer. He touched everybody he knew," she shared. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), The News & Observer. WILSON, N.C. Darius Sessoms agreed to an Alford plea on Thursday in the first-degree murder of 5-year-old Cannon Hinnant. They know hes in a better place. [Images via GoFundMe, Wilson Police . Disrn. Police later identified the suspect as Sessoms and the victim as Cannon Hinnant. Jessica Lee is Snopes' Senior Assignments Editor with expertise in investigative storytelling, media literacy advocacy and digital audience engagement. window.googletag.cmd.push(function() { justice for him and his family ! Accessed 14 August 2020. The two men had just had dinner and visited with each other over the weekend, the television station reported, but the father said there was no bad blood or words between them before the shooting. Obama claims Trump is more concerned with suppressing the vote than coronavirus after president blocked USPS funding, Jobless Meghan Markle and Prince Harry must 'start making money quickly' to pay $545,000-a-year mortgage on new home. The Wilson Police Department is using all its resources to locate and apprehend Sessoms at this time. How can you walk up to a little boy, point blank, and put a gun to his head and just shoot him? He shot five-year-old Cannon Hinnant in the head, according to cops. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('impressionViewable', function(event) { He was apprehended and convicted for the murder of 5-year-old Cannon Hinnant. Cannon Hinnant. 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