'They were just playing in the yard': Family holds vigil in honor of 5-year-old boy shot and killed in Wilson
Family and friends gather for a vigil Wednesday evening to honor Cannon Hinnant, a 5-year-old boy shot and killed on Aug. 9, 2020, in Wilson.
"This is not the way I should be talking to my son or seeing him," said Bonny Parker, vicitms mother said.
Family members said Cannon was riding his bike outside his father's house on Archers Road on that evening when he was shot in the head. The boy's two sisters, who were ages 8 and 7, witnessed the shooting.
Darius Sessoms is now in prison, serving a life sentence without the possibility for parole. However Parker, says that his murderer behind bars is not enough.
"At the end of the day I feel like I got the life sentence, not him," Parker said.
Parker had previously said that she wanted people who hurt children to face the death penalty. As kids continue to be victims of shootings in the wake of Cannon's death, Parker has a message for adults:
"Don't put kids in the middle. They're innocent. They have a whole life ahead of them. And they look at adults to protect them."
Cannon's father, Austin Hinnant, said he heard the gunshot while the three children were outside.
"They were just playing in the yard like any other day," Hinnant said.
Witnesses said Darius Sessoms, Austin Hinnant's neighbor, walked up to the boy and shot him in the head.
Hinnant couldn't believe it when he saw his son on the ground.
"The first thing that went through my mind was maybe he just fell off his bike," he said. "The closer I got to him, the more I realized it was something far more serious."
Cannon was taken to Wilson Medical Center, where he died.
Hinnant said he lived next door to Sessoms and his parents for eight years and even had him over for dinner the week prior to the shooting.
No motive was announced, but Sessoms' parents later said they believed their son was on drugs and having hallucinations at the time of the shooting.
Sessoms was arrested in Goldsboro not long after the shooting.
In December 2022, a judge sentenced Sessoms to life in prison without the possibility of parole at the Wilson County Courthouse. The plea allows Sessoms to avoid the death penalty.
Sessoms' girlfriend, Aolani Takemi Marie Pettit, of Wilson, was charged with felony accessory after the fact for helping Sessoms escape. Prosecutors said she knew her boyfriend had shot the child and that she helped him leave town, including providing him transportation.
Cannon's mother, Bonny Parker, was vocal in her demand that Sessoms to receive the death penalty and called for anyone accused of killing of a child to automatically face execution.
"I’ll never get Cannon back, but I want this to be an eye-opener for everybody else in the world whose lost a child to an act of violence," Parker said. "They automatically should get death penalty, anybody who hurts a child."
Since Cannon's death, the community has rallied to support the family, holding multiple vigils and a memorial bike ride.
Playground built in memory of Cannon Hinnant
The city of Wilson worked with Cannon's family to renovate the 15-year-old BB&T Noah's Arc playground in his memory. The renovations included shade structures, new flooring and additional swings for handicapped children.
Parker told WRAL News in 2020 that her son loved playing outside, so the tribute is fitting.
"It's amazing," she said. "It's breathtaking. It's definitely something Cannon would want. He loved the playground, he loved kids, so bringing back this playground is what we're doing. We're doing it for Cannon. That's what he would have wanted."
Cannon's family donated $400,000 to the project, half of which was raised on a GoFundMe page in Cannon's honor. The city paid for the rest.
The gift also went to the creation of the Miracle Field at Wilson's J. Burt Gillette Athletic Complex, a specially-designed baseball field for children with intellectual and physical disabilities.
Vigil held Wednesday night
A private vigil and memorial service will be held Wednesday night.
