Funeral Held For Cannon Hinnant, 5-Year-Old Who Was Shot While Riding Bike

The funeral for a five-year-old boy who was fatally shot by a neighbor while riding his bike has been held in Wilson, North Carolina.

The service was scheduled for Thursday night at 7 p.m., four days after Cannon Hinnant was shot in the head and killed by a neighbor, 25-year-old Darius Sessoms. A candlelight vigil is scheduled for 8 p.m. Friday on the steps of the Wilson County Courthouse.

According to ABC 11, more than 100 cars filled the funeral home’s parking lot as the service began, and Cannon’s grandfather, Merrill Race, told the news outlet that “we shouldn’t even be here,” in regards to the situation.

He also expressed anger over what happened and noted his grandson had been about to start Kindergarten before his death. He called Sessoms “evil” as he spoke about the murder.

“That’s evil. I never met this guy in my life, but that is one evil dude. He’s there where he should be,” he said.

Two GoFundMe pages were set up to help Cannon’s family with the expenses from the funeral. A first, titled “#JusticeForCannon” raised $5,577 before being disabled.

A second, organized by his grandmother, Gwen Hinnant, has since raised $336,506.

Sessoms is being held and has been charged with first-degree murder for Cannon’s death, though police say there is no known motive for the crime.

Previously, a neighbor, Doris Lybrand, who witnessed the shooting, stated that Sessoms had intentionally pointed the gun at the little boy’s head before pulling the trigger, and then running back into his own home.

“My first reaction was he’s playing with the kids,” Lybrand said at the time. “For a second, I thought, ‘That couldn’t happen.’ People don’t run across the street and kill kids.”