An 8-year-old Missouri boy saved himself and his siblings as he watched his mother get shot to death. Porsha Owens, a mother of three, was killed Monday morning as she was leading her kids to her car to take them to day care.
Fannie King told CBS News that her great-grandson told her about the incident and said that a gunman ordered his mother to give up her money and keys, but that when she refused, he shot her. The gunman tried to start Owens’ car but failed and subsequently fled the scene of the crime.
While all of this was happening, the boy led his younger siblings under the car so they wouldn’t be hurt.
The other two children, a 3-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl, don’t understand what has happened to their mother.
“I talked to the children. ... The two smaller ones, they don’t comprehend she’s not coming back. The older one, he knows,” King told CBS News.
Mark L. Haywood, 18, has been charged with murder and robbery in Owens’ shooting death, authorities say.
Owens was a school safety officer in a nearby school district and was treasured in the school community.
In a statement on Facebook, the Riverview Gardens School District said of Owens: “Officer Owens was a treasured member of the RGSD family, who worked diligently to build positive relationships with scholars and staff. We are working with her family to make sure they receive the support they need.”
A GoFundMe account has been set up for donations to go toward Owens’ children.