Pennsylvania man whose 11-month-old son was shot four times used him as 'human shield' during drug deal
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA: A Pennsylvania man whose infant son was shot multiple times after he used him as a "human shield" during a drug deal has been arrested and charged.
On October 19, Nafes Monroe, 25, took his 11-month-old son Yaseem Munir Jenkins to a drug deal in Philadelphia's Hunting Park section, according to ABC Action News, in the hope that the child's presence would discourage any violence.
However, as he, along with Yaseem and the child's stepmother sat in their car, shots rang out. The infant was hit four times, sustaining gunshot wounds to his head, torso, and rear.
But instead of rushing him to the hospital, Monroe took him to his house. He eventually took the 11-month-old to the hospital, but then immediately made his escape, knowing that the authorities would be hunting for him.
Speaking about the incident at a press conference, Anthony Voci Jr, the chief of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Homicide Unit, revealed that Monroe, who also goes by the aliases Nafis and Nyfes, was wanted on a probation warrant and was using counterfeit currency to purchase drugs at the time of the shooting.
"He was using counterfeit money to purchase drugs, knowing that counterfeit money is something that is very upsetting to drug dealers, and when they find out that they're being burned with counterfeit money, they act violently," he said. "And this was not the first instance of Mr Monroe using counterfeit money."
"It's our belief and our investigation has led us to believe that he intentionally had his child with him when he was making such types of purchases with the idea or belief that if someone saw that he had a child in the car that they would not fire upon him," Voci theorized. "A human shield is probably the term that I would use."
Monroe was arrested over the weekend and has been charged with recklessly endangering another person and endangering the welfare of a child. Police have said that, if his son survives, he will not make a full recovery and is likely to be quadriplegic (paralysed in all four limbs).
The Philadelphia Enquirer reported that the alleged shooter, 29-year-old Francisco Ortiz, has also been arrested and charged with attempted murder and other related offenses.