A kindergartener with a bright future had his life taken away from him suddenly when two of his family members started shooting at each other.
As AL.com reports, 5-year-old Ta’Narius Moore, Jr. was caught in the crossfire of a gunfight which took place outside an Alabama apartment complex. “TJ’s” father was also killed in a similar way two years ago.
A 5-Year-Old Killed in Crossfire Between Two Family Members
On December 9, authorities were called to the apartment complex after the boy was shot in the head. He was immediately transported to Children’s of Alabama, but sadly he did not survive.
According to AL.com, the two women who were engaged in the shooting were relatives of the boy. It’s unclear if anyone else was injured after the altercation escalated.
A neighbor who witnessed the shooting said she heard the gunfire and when she looked outside, saw a man cradling a child. The 5-year-old’s stepfather, Carlos Walker, took to Facebook after losing the beloved little boy, sharing photos and videos of the memories they shared together.
“AS I SIT HERE IN A DAZE I DON’T [KNOW] HOW I’M GONE CARRY ON WITHOUT MY HEART I LOVE [YOU] SO MUCH TJ I TRIED MY BEST TO PROVIDE FOR U AND SPOIL [YOU] ROTTEN I’M BEYOND LOST WITHOUT [YOU] SON I DON’T KNOW WAT I’M DOIN LORD WHY WHY.”
Birmingham police Deputy Chief Scott Praytor told AL.com that multiple people have since been arrested following Ta’Narious’s passing. However, the reason for the altercation has yet to be revealed. Praytor said:
“We are speaking to the mother right now trying to find out exactly what happened out here. What I do know is that it’s always a terrible thing when you lose a child out in the street. That seems to be compounded during the holiday season. Nobody wants to see that, but when it’s a child who was with the person that they trust the most, and something like this happens, it’s heartbreaking.”
Praytor added that it’s time for law enforcement and the community to work together in order to continue to get “crime down in the city.” Ta’Narious would have turned 6 years old next month.
The 5-year-old was described as a “fun-loving little kid,” who played little league football and was recently named to the All-star team. His paternal grandmother, Sherie Moore, told AL.com that her grandson had asked for a bike this year for Christmas.
Moore said, “I lost my son, and now I lost his junior. It’s a hard pill to swallow. It’s just hard. It’s unexplainable.” Now she just wants justice to be served. “I know they’re together, but that doesn’t ease my pain.”
According to AL.com, 29-year-old Rickkia Allen was one of the people arrested in this case. She has since been charged with capital murder.
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