Father, infant son fatally shot while sitting on front porch, police say

MONROE, N.C. (WBTV/Gray News) – A father and his infant son were shot and killed outside their North Carolina home Sunday night, police said.

According to Monroe police, 25-year-old Darion McClendon and 4-month-old Da’Mari McClendon were shot just after 10 p.m. Sunday.

Family members said McClendon and his family were sitting on the porch having just come back from a picnic at the park when they were shot.

“They’re just shooting people just to shoot people. This man was cooking on the grill for his family, this man was having a good time with his family, and this is what happened,” a family member said.

McClendon’s girlfriend’s family said baby Da’Mari was always happy, brought his mom a lot of joy, and loved Mickey Mouse.

McClendon, who was affectionately known as Debo, was described as a hard-working, caring father of two sons.

“My cousin lost her baby and her boyfriend,” one family member said. “Debo wasn’t a bad guy. Debo went to work, they had just went to the park with my kids and their baby.”

The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, has children who were also at the home when the shooting happened. She is thankful they are OK physically, but knows they’re traumatized from witnessing their loved ones get killed in front of them.

Monroe Police Department Chief Bryan Gilliard said the aftermath of the fatal shooting is a difficult time for the community and for officers.

“We are committed to bringing the perpetrator of this crime to justice. If anyone has any information, please come forward. We need people in the community to help us in this process,” Gilliard said.

The family is also pleading with the public to come forward and help the police make an arrest.

Anyone with any information about this crime should contact the Monroe Police Department at 704-282-4700 or Union County Crime Stoppers at 704-283-5600. A cash reward of up to $5,000 is available for information leading to an arrest.

Copyright 2022 WBTV via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.