Father Used 3-month-old Son as Human Shield During Shootout with Police

A father used his 3-month-old son as a human shield during a shootout with police in Mississippi earlier this week.

The dad died in the shootout, and the boy passed away later.

The incident started as a domestic dispute in Louisiana. The East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a shooting Monday afternoon, Biloxi police said.

Law enforcement then found two dead: Christin Parker and her nephew, Brandon Parker.

Police launched a search for Christin Parker’s ex-boyfriend, Eric Derell Smith — and their 3-month-old son, identified by Louisiana news organizations as La’Mello Parker, the station said. Smith was accused of abducting the boy.

Biloxi police joined in to help after learning that the suspect had been spotted on Interstate 10 heading east and nearing Gulfport. A slow-speed chase ensued.

Between the Gulfport and D’Iberville exits, the suspect drove into the grass median. A shootout then began, during which Smith died.

Smith’s infant son was taken to the University and South Alabama University Hospital and later transferred to Children’s and Women’s Hospital, where he died.

Back in Christin Parker’s neighborhood in East Baton Rouge, the incident left residents in shock.

“It’s quiet,” Kenneshia Cain told WALA. “This has never happened before … We’ve been here over 11 years and have never had a murder … happen on this street.”

Jamal Johnson told the station that Richmond Street was quiet when he got home from work Monday — and then it was suddenly filled with police vehicles. Johnson told WALA his heart goes out to the baby’s four siblings.

“I know it’s a rough thing,” he added to the station. “So it’s mainly about the kids, how they feel about it. That’s the way everybody ought to look at it. Because it’s a real rough thing.”

Cain told WALA her kids and Parker’s often played together: “My heart goes out to her family, her children. We are praying for them.”