In a drug deal gone bad, police say a dad used his own 11-month-old baby as a “human shield.” After the shootout, the father was arrested — but his son would never be the same.
Nafes Monroe won’t be winning any “Father of the Year” awards after what he did with his own infant son on a Saturday night. The 25-year-old dad was arrested after Philadelphia police say he used the 11-month-old baby as a “human shield” during a drug deal gone bad, which resulted in a shootout. Monroe walked away unscathed, but the same couldn’t be said about the baby he put in danger.
According to NBC News, Monroe allegedly brought his 11-month-old son with him while attempting to purchase drugs with counterfeit money, believing the child’s presence would forestall any violence. It didn’t work. Monroe was riding in the car in North Philly with his son, girlfriend, and another man when a gunman opened fire. Monroe’s infant son, who was in the backseat, was struck several times.
The 11-month-old boy was even shot in the head, but rather than immediately driving his critically injured, infant son to the hospital, Monroe stopped at home. He later dropped his son off at Einstein Medical Center and left. “He never looked back and went into the wind so to speak,” police said. The child, identified as Yazeem Jenkins, was reportedly in “very, very, very critical condition,” police added, according to NBC 10 Philadelphia.
Sadly, Yazeem Jenkins was one of two babies struck in separate shootings less than 24 hours apart over what proved to be a tragic weekend in Philadelphia, stunning both police officials and the city’s mayor. During the shootout, Jenkins was struck four times by bullets: once in his head, once in the neck, and twice in his buttocks. Police said he doesn’t stand a chance at a full recovery and will most likely be quadriplegic.
“We had a horrible weekend, this weekend when it comes to violence,” Mayor Jim Kenney said. “You feel like you’re making progress in this city and this weekend happens and a couple [of] weekends ago, it happened again, and you just feel like you’re losing, losing ground,” he added, referring to the battle against “gun violence” in Philadelphia.
Sadly, he seems to be right, and children are suffering the consequences at an alarming rate. “A child is shot in Philadelphia every 3.7 days,” The Morning Call reported. “As the gun violence crisis continues to plague Philadelphia, the total number of victims is rising, and young people are making up a greater share.”
In cases like the one involving Yazeem Jenkins, it’s their own parents who are knowingly putting them at risk. Not only was Nafes Monroe well-aware that attempting to buy drugs using counterfeit money could lead to violence, investigators believe it was his intention for his infant son to serve as a “human shield” against it.
“It’s our belief and our investigation has led us to believe that [Monroe] 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,” Anthony Voci Jr., chief of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Homicide Unit, explained during a press conference.
Francisco Ortiz, 29, was identified as the gunman and arrested. He was charged with attempted murder in connection with the case. Police say that Nafes Monroe, who also uses the aliases Nafis and Nyfes, was Ortiz’s intended target. Monroe was charged with recklessly endangering another person and endangering the welfare of a child.
Ortiz may have pulled the trigger, but both men showed a complete disregard for this baby’s life. Sadly, one of them was supposed to be the child’s protector. Instead, dear dad deliberately put his son in harm’s way, and for what? Drugs. Yet, some still believe illegal drug use is a victimless crime. If they could, I’m sure Yazeem Jenkins and all the other innocent children who have been caught in the crosshairs would disagree.
Source: Tap Worthy Happenings
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