Who is Joanna Cloonan? Aiden Leos' mom says he was 'killed for no reason', demands justice: 'This is not Okay'
ORANGE, CALIFORNIA: The mother of Aiden Leos has said her son was "killed for no reason" and wants "justice to be served" for his death. The six-year-old’s mother Joanna Cloonan along with other family members also thanked the public which helped raise over $140,000 in just 24 hours.
According to reports, she was taking Aiden to his school when a suspect fired at the car in an apparent case of road rage; a bullet hit the child, leading to his death. The tragedy reportedly happened on Friday morning, May 21, when Joanna was driving Aiden to the kindergarten class at Calvary Chapel Yorba Linda. Suddenly, an aggressive motorist overtook their vehicle while traveling in the carpool lane of the northbound side of State Route 55, in the city of Orange. Joanna, in return, showed the finger in her rearview mirror, which was not taken well by the other driver, who shot at them killing the school kid.
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After Aiden’s death, a GoFundMe page was launched to help the devastated family and since then it has raised more than $140,000. The family has reportedly been overwhelmed by the contribution and on Saturday evening, May 22, Joanna, Aiden’s father, and sister expressed their gratitude. An update on the fundraiser stated, “The mother, father and sister of Aiden want to express their appreciation for your loving support while their lives are shattered in a million pieces they are strengthened knowing the world is wrapping their arms around them! THANK YOU!”
The grieving mother also spoke to ABC News' Zohreen Shah in an interview airing Sunday, May 23, on 'Good Morning America'. She said, "They took my son's life away. He was beautiful and he was kind and he was precious, and you killed him for no reason. And I want to find them and I want there to be justice to be served for my son."
Joanna continued, "He meant the world to me, and it feels like my life is over. That was my baby. I've never, never thought pain like this could exist." She also mentioned that she saw a female driving the other car -- believed to be a newer model of a white Volkswagen wagon sedan -- from which shots were fired while a male was sitting in the passenger seat. However, she was not confident who actually killed her son.
"I hope that people see this [interview] and understand that this is not OK, whatever and whoever these people are and for whatever reason, this is not OK. It should never happen again. So whatever help this does, that's my intention for my son," she added.
Besides, another donation page has been set up by a friend of Aiden's father. The message on it mentioned the heart-wrenching moment when his father was told about the tragedy. “Aiden Leos also had a loving father whom was very much in his life. Whom is now trying to figure out what is left for him when he worked long days and even took on extra work to help provide for his son. To get a phone call while at work from the CHP, to his heart racing only to think something happened to his son and then finally rushing to the hospital but it was too late. No last goodbye and no more smiles, hugs, or I love you’s. This is something a parent should never have to go through. He is so heart broken that even a picture or the thought of his lil boy makes him break down,” it added; the fundraiser has received more than $5K.
Aiden also had an elder sister, who urged the public for help to find the culprits. During a family press conference on Friday, Alexis Cloonan, said, “She [Joanna] had blood on her clothes and he started turning blue and that's when the ambulance took him and that was the last time my mom saw him alive. Please help us find the people that did this to my little brother. He's only six and he was so sweet. He was a very loving boy so please help us find who did this to him. [My mom] had to hold her little boy as he died so she is very distraught right now. He was a rare toddler. I just loved having him in my life.”
A family is asking for the public’s help in identifying the suspects who shot and killed 6-year-old Aiden. The little boy was with his mother, driving to school on the 55 freeway in Orange, when they were shot at during an apparent road rage incident. https://t.co/Sr1hYV5n88 pic.twitter.com/fVvfNkfZl6
— FOX 11 Los Angeles (@FOXLA) May 22, 2021
While the kids’ uncle John Cloonan stated, “You can tell it was a cowardly way of doing it because they shot her in the back pretty much. You have no idea what you took from us today. You took her son away, her boy. This boy was full of love and joy and laughter. I hope someone knows something and that whoever did this, I hope you can see what you've done to this family. Not that it matters much now because my nephew is dead. We're never going to be full again. She [Aiden's mother] was merging to the right side to get away from this person, and as you can see if you go online and look at the photos, there's one bullet shot in the trunk that went through the trunk and right through my nephew.”