Boy, 6, who was burned by bully throwing flaming tennis balls at him was once attacked with an ax
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Update: A recent video, shared by one of the accused boys’ families, shows four children, including Dominick Krankall, lighting fires and kicking a flaming soccer ball in a backyard. The cops have also confirmed that there was no foul play. According to the police, the 6-year-old boy caught fire either by kicking or stepping on a plastic cup filled with gasoline that was on fire. But the other boys were not targeting him.
The mother of the 6-year-old boy from Connecticut who was burned by a bully, now revealed that the alleged attacker harassed the victim for a whole year and this was not the first time he physically assaulted him. Dominick Krankall received second and third-degree burns to his face after another 8-year-old child tossed a tennis ball at him, doused in gasoline, on April 24.
The victim's mother, Maria Rua, told the Daily Mail that her son has been mentally damaged by the bullying since the family relocated to Bridgeport a year ago. She claimed that her son had been bullied by his 8-year-old neighbor and his 11-year-old sibling, but they had not been able to move to another area to escape the bullies due to financial constraints. Her son's alleged harasser once hit him so hard with a pillow that he fell backward, suffered a concussion, and was taken to the hospital for overnight surveillance, according to the mother. The accused also attacked her son with an ax and burned Dominick's bicycle on another occasion.
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Even though it is already known that the little boy's burns were caused after a lit tennis ball doused in gasoline was thrown at him while they were playing together, Rua said he has spoken with the neighbor's mother on several occasions but they have ignored all of her complaints, and even now denies that her son caused Dominick's injuries, despite the fact that it is already known that the little boy's burns were caused after a lit tennis ball doused in gasoline was thrown at him.
According to his mother's account, Dominick went inside his house on the day of the recent incident, shouting, "Mommy, help me!" She told the Daily Mail, “The mother hasn't taken responsibility at all. She hasn't shown an ounce of pity or compassion. My son almost burned to death and the mother still claims that my son did this to himself. That is impossible. She is in denial and will never admit that her son did anything wrong.”
Heartbreaking pics 💔 6yr old Dominick Krankall from Bridgeport, CT suffered 2nd & 3rd degree burns after his family says an 8 year old bully lit him on fire by pouring gasoline on a tennis ball & throwing it at his face - police investigating, no one facing charges @NBCNewYork pic.twitter.com/gz8lb8Qw8S
— Anjali Hemphill (@AnjaliHemphill) April 27, 2022
Despite the fact that the boy is recovering and helping the doctors in changing his bandage and taking his own medicine, his mother revealed that he will require surgery on his forehead due to the consequences of the burns, for which they have set up a GoFundme fundraising campaign. She said, “He had lost his eyebrows and some of his hair. He may suffer from permanent discoloration on his face and the doctors said that he cannot be in the sun because his skin cannot be exposed for fear it may blister back up. Dominick loves to be outdoors but he will now have restrictions and it going to be a different type of summer for him.”
The mother also said that the child was able to eat a cheeseburger when the bandages on his face were removed. She said, “I got him a McDonald's Happy Meal. He was so happy that he could swallow.” Meanwhile, the accused kid bully, who attended Dominick's elementary school, was reportedly warned and sent to a school for children with behavioral issues.
Rua said, “These kids are bullies and physically abusive. They even threatened that they would light me on fire. They are angry kids and they are going to hurt someone,” while adding that the bully's mother phoned the Department of Children and Family Services to report her one day after the event. “She said my kids had no clothes or food. This child needs help. He is only eight. He is crying out for help and no one is paying attention to him and when they came they quickly realized that wasn't the case at all,” she explained.