WILSON, N.C. — A North Carolina man has been arrested after allegedly walking up to a 5-year-old neighbor boy who was playing outside and shooting him in the head.

The incident was reported just after 5:30 p.m. Sunday in Wilson, North Carolina, according to a news release from Wilson police.

“Officers arrived on the scene and located 5-year-old suffering from a gunshot wound,” the news release said.

Cannon Hinnant was taken to a local hospital but later died, the news release said.

A murder warrant was been issued for Darius N. Sessoms, of Wilson. He was taken into custody Monday and charged with first-degree murder, WRAL reports.

A neighbor told WRAL that Sessoms ran up to the boy, put the gun near his head and fired. He then ran back to his own home next door.

“My first reaction was he’s playing with the kids,” Doris Lybrand said. “For a second, I thought, ‘That couldn’t happen.’ People don’t run across the street and kill kids.”

She then saw the little boy’s father react.

Hinnant’s two sisters, ages 8 and 7, saw the shooting.

WRAL reports that Sessoms and the boy’s father had dinner together Saturday night and that Sessoms was at their home earlier Sunday.

Frank Harvey, who has lived in the neighborhood for 15 years, says he’s never seen anything like the scene Sunday.

“It’s usually quiet here. You might hear cars kind of loud and stuff like that, but as far as this right here going on, no, you don’t see nothing like this,” said Harvey. “It’s sad, it hurts and justice needs to be served.”

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