Toddler Shot and Killed by Bullet Believed to Be Meant for His Dad

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by Adriana Velez 3 hours ago

A gang-related shooting claimed an unbearably young victim. A 16-month-old toddler was killed by a bullet meant for his father, investigators believe. Anthony Hennis was pushing his son, Antiq, in a stroller when a gunman took four shots at him with a .45-caliber handgun. One of the bullets cruelly entered Antiq's skull and ended his life. Other bullet holes were found in the stroller. Hennis ran from the scene screaming that his baby had been shot.

Police say Hennis will not cooperate with trying to find his son's killer, though. "Mr. Hennis has not been cooperative with us,” says Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. “He has not answered questions. We’re still trying to, obviously, determine his contacts -- and he has an extensive arrest record, so we are looking into his relationships.” Why won't Hennis help the police find his son's killer? Is it just because of his arrest record?

Witnesses say the shooting was gang-related over a dispute between the father and the shooter's brother. Given just those details, it would be easy to assume that the father has something incriminating to hide. Hennis is an ex-convict with a record of 23 arrests, mostly for drug-related charges. But I think it's too simplistic to assume that's the only, or main, reason why he's not cooperating. I think it's also likely that he's grown up distrusting the police in general. He may not feel safe opening up to the police, even for this.

It's not like Hennis doesn't care about his baby's death or finding the killer. Family members say he's devastated by the murder. His grandmother says, "He can't live without that baby. He's always with him. That baby is his life." 

At any rate, the police have leads, and people in the community claim they know exactly who the killer is and are working to help the police apprehend him. It's horrible to think someone could be cold-hearted and careless enough to shoot at a man within such close proximity to a helpless baby.

Why do you think Hennis is refusing to cooperate with the police to find his child's murderer?

Image via Josh Hallett/Flickr

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Adriana Velez

is a staff writer who dabbles in food, parenting, news, entertainment, molecular biology, and anything else that that pops into her head. She lives with her elementary school-aged son in Brooklyn, land of urban farms and artisan everything.  

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