8 Year Boy Was Killed While Protecting His Mother From a Bullet That Was Allegedly Fired by His Dad Days After Getting Out of Jail

A Minnesota boy was killed when he tried to protect his mother from a shooting that was reportedly done by his father, who had just been released from jail after being charged with domestic assault.

The Star Tribune quotes the county medical examiner’s office as saying that 8-year-old Amir Harden died on Sunday at a hospital in Hennepin County, Minn. He had been shot in the head and neck last week and died there.

As reported by ABC 5 and police, Amir was shot and killed in his Burnsville, Minnesota, home just before midnight on Wednesday.

“Four other young children were present at the scene during the shooting,” the news source says.

Police told KTSP that Amir wasn’t the goal of the shooting and that it happened during a domestic dispute.

Cheryl Edwards, Amir’s mother, said on a GoFundMe page that the boy “tried wrestling the gun out of” the suspect’s hand and that Amir was shot by accident while the suspect was trying to shoot and kill her. (The fundraiser was set up to help Edwards’ other children with their moving costs and training.)

Edwards wrote that when she yelled at Amir to leave, the child set out to protect her.

“He said no and told her, ‘Mommy, I’m not leaving you here,'” she wrote.

The suspect, who the Star Tribune and Fox 9 both named as 30-year-old Danair Harden, is still in serious condition at the hospital, according to CBS News.

The Star Tribune says that Danair reportedly attacked Edwards just a few days after getting out of jail on charges of assaulting her in connection with an alleged incident on May 30. At first glance, it wasn’t clear if he had hired a lawyer or pleaded guilty to the attack charge.

A city spokeswoman told CBS News that if Danair lives, Burnsville police will think about charging him with a crime.
At the same time, Amir’s family remembers him as a brave “protector.”

Edwards told the news source, “He was a leader and a protector of his siblings.” “I had him as my biggest fan.” He would say, “Have a good day, Mommy,” every day I went to work. “I love you.”

“We’re finally free of [Danair], but my child made the supreme sacrifice,” Edwards told the news source. “I feel so bad for all of my children. They were shocked. If it ever goes away, it will take years.

Source: PEOPLE