A father in North Carolina was tragically shot to death when he was trying to save his teenage daughter from being hit by her boyfriend.
The Concord Police Department announced that Keshaun Tirrell Degraffenreid was arrested and is being charged as an adult after he fatally shot his 16-year-old girlfriend’s father, Lester Jones.
Degraffenreid, 17, has been charged with first-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, misdemeanor domestic violence and resisting officers, according to police.
The incident took place shortly after midnight on Monday, June 1, when Degraffenreid was with his girlfriend at a home in Concord, North Carolina. Police said that the couple “had an argument that escalated” and ultimately turned physical.
Degraffenreid allegedly punched his girlfriend in the face, according to a warrant for the defendant’s arrest viewed by Law & Crime.
Jones, 47, witnessed the fight and tried to intervene, which was when Degraffenreid allegedly shot him. He reportedly fired multiple rounds, which also injured his girlfriend.
Officers were called to the home “for a reported assault with injury,” where they found Jones and his daughter “suffering from apparent gunshot wounds.” Jones was pronounced dead at the scene and his daughter was brought to a nearby hospital. It is not currently clear how she is doing now.
Degraffenreid fled the scene, but police found him on a nearby street and he was arrested “after a brief foot chase.”
The defendant made his first appearance in court on Wednesday, June 3, and he is scheduled to return for a second hearing on June 18.
It is not currently clear if Degraffenreid has entered a plea or retained legal counsel following his arrest. The Concord Police Department did not immediately respond to Us Weekly’s request for comment regarding the case.
The incident has left many neighbors in shock, and area resident Josh Elmore told WBTV that Jones acted heroically to help his daughter.
“A father made the ultimate sacrifice for his daughter to protect her, and a 17-year-old kid played a stupid game and decided to use violence,” Elmore said.
Neighbor Antonio Brown, who lives down the street, told the outlet that the neighborhood felt uneasy after the shooting.
“Something like that is so close to home. That’s so disappointing. I’m not sure, I have lost words for anything else,” he said.
Brown also wondered why a 17-year-old had access to a gun. “A 17-year-old is still a child. He shouldn’t have a gun. Why would he have a gun?” he said. “That’s scary because, 17 years old, he may not be able to kind of think his way through, and just he may get upset, and that sort of thing can happen with violence.”
