Yaseem Jenkins Who Was Used By His Dad As Human Shield In 2019 Has Died, Authorities Say

Yaseem Jenkins, the three-year-old boy who survived a 2019 shooting in Philadelphia, reportedly died on Tuesday.

"His endless fight. How many adults you know went through what he went through and survived?" said his cousin Erica Ledwell, who spoke on behalf of the family. "He was the happiest baby you ever met in your life. He was joy."

Jenkins, 11 months old at that time, was shot four times, including once in the head in Oct. 2019 while he was strapped into his car seat while his father, Nafes Monroe, who was driving and went on a drug deal in Hunting Park using counterfeit money.

According to the investigators, Monroe angered the drug dealers due to the fake money; they reportedly opened fire. Francisco Ortiz was said to be the one responsible for shooting Yaseem. The shooting left Jenkins in critical condition.

"He was using counterfeit money to purchase drugs knowing that counterfeit money is very upsetting to drug dealers, and when they find out they're being burned with counterfeit money, they act violently," Anthony Voci, Homicide Unit Chief with the District Attorney's Office, said in 2019.

In 2019, the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office stated that the boy's father used him as a human shield when the shooting began. Monroe was arrested for his involvement in the incident. He was charged with recklessly endangering another person and endangering the welfare of a child, and later pleaded guilty to both charges.

The medical examiner's office will do an autopsy to determine if Yaseem died from his injuries sustained in the 2019 shooting. Pending the medical examiner's autopsy result will tell whether Ortiz would face homicide charges.

"Yaseem fought long and hard to recover from his injuries while still being the strong happy kid he was, but sadly lost the battle," reads the GoFundMe page set up to cover Jenkins' funeral costs. "It saddens us to have to lay him to rest at such a young age. Our family is devastated and heartbroken by his unexpected passing." The family of Jenkins held a vigil outside of the boy's West Philadelphia house on Wednesday.