A Black Philadelphia teen once hailed a hero for saving three children from an icy pond last year lost his life when a gun went off during an Instagram Live recording.
The gun was being passed around by another teen when it fired accidentally and hit Anthony Alexander Jr., 17, the witnesses told authorities.
“He was a beautiful child, and this is still not real for me,” Alexander Jr.’s stepmother Ava Alexander told the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports Alexander was among a group of teens who were sitting on a couch in an apartment in the Philadelphia suburb of Drexel Hill on Jan. 29. One of the teens, later identified as Diamire Hickman, 16, told police they were “live streaming themselves on Instagram in the apartment while ‘passing around’ two handguns,” the outlet reported.
While Hickman was holding the Glock pistol, he “put his hand on the trigger a teeny bit, causing the gun to go off and shoot Alexander Jr. in the face,” the Inquirer reported. Hickman reportedly then fled the apartment.
Alexander Jr. was pronounced dead at the scene. Police tracked Hickman down using surveillance footage, which showed the 16-year-old hopping a fence near the apartment holding a handgun.
Hickman turned himself into police on Jan. 30. He has been charged with third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter.
“He had so much to live for,” Anthony Alexander Sr. told WPVI.
“We now have a young man, who, as you pointed out, was very heroic last year. He’s now dead, and you have two families who are dealing with the tragedy,” Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said.
Alexander Jr. was just weeks away from receiving a Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroic efforts on Feb. 21, 2022.
Alexander Jr. helped rescue three children between the ages of 9 and 11 from an icy pond the Messenger-Inquirer reported.
Alexander Jr. was at a park that day when he heard some…
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