A 3-year-old boy who survived a 2019 shooting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania died on Tuesday afternoon.
The family of Yaseem Jenkins held a vigil outside of the little boy’s West Philadelphia home Wednesday evening.
The medical examiner’s office will perform an autopsy to determine if Yaseem died from his injuries stemming from the 2019 shooting.
His mother told local news he had fought through the worst of his injuries and was sitting up and never lost his spirit and smile.
“His endless fight. How many adults you know went through what he went through and survived?” said cousin Erica Ledwell, who spoke on behalf of the family. “He was the happiest baby you ever met in your life. He was a joy.”
Yaseem was shot four times in October of 2019 while he was strapped into his car seat while his father, 25-year-old Nafes Monroe, who was driving, went on a drug deal in Hunting Park using counterfeit money, according to police.
Investigators say the drug dealers, angered over the fake money, opened fire. Police say Francisco Ortiz was responsible for shooting Yaseem.
The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office said back in 2019 that the boy’s father used him as a human shield when the shots rang out.
Ortiz is scheduled to appear in court for two unrelated charges: one on a gun charge and the other on a domestic homicide charge.
Pending the medical examiner’s autopsy determination, Ortiz could face homicide charges.
The family is working to create a GoFundMe page to help pay for his funeral.
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