PHILADELPHIA — A Pennsylvania man whose baby boy suffered critical injuries in an October shooting purposely brought the infant along during drug deals to deter others from opening fire, authorities said.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer and WPVI-TV, police arrested Nafes Monroe, 25, on Saturday, three weeks after his 11-month-old son, Yazeem Jenkins, was shot multiple times in north Philadelphia.
Prosecutors said Monroe was trying to use counterfeit money to purchase drugs Oct. 19 when the suspected gunman, 29-year-old Francisco Ortiz, began shooting, the Inquirer reported. Yazeem, who was in a car with Monroe, his girlfriend and a second man, was hit in the chest, head and buttocks, authorities said.
Afterward, Monroe took Yazeem to a home, then dropped the baby off at a nearby hospital, according to Anthony Voci of the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office. The boy's condition is still listed as critical, KYW-TV reported.
Voci said Monroe had brought Yazeem with him during other drug purchases, as well, "with the idea or belief that if someone saw that he had a child in the car, that they would not fire upon him," the Inquirer reported.
"A 'human shield' is probably the term that I would use," Voci said, according to the newspaper.
Monroe now faces charges of endangering a child's welfare and reckless endangerment, WPVI reported. Ortiz remains jailed on attempted murder, aggravated assault and other charges, the Inquirer reported.
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