A 20-year-old Florida father, Justin Golden, faces aggravated manslaughter and vehicular homicide charges after allegedly placing his 8-month-old baby in the middle of a busy Jacksonville intersection and then running over the baby. Reportedly, Golden argued with a passenger of the vehicle, who is believed to be the mother of the child, before the alleged monstrous crime.
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According to News 4 Jax, the incident took place on Saturday, January 25, along Lenox and McDuff avenues. There, a fight between Golden and the other passenger broke.
"The driver stopped the vehicle at the intersection, opened the door and placed the child on the ground," the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office stated. "The driver then began to leave the area and the vehicle struck the child."
A barbershop owner named Markin Barnes witnessed the moments after the innocent 8-month-old baby was hit by the vehicle driven by Justin Golden.
"I had a customer that was out front who witnessed the tail end of it," Barnes told First Coast News. "She was holding a baby," Barnes said of the vehicle's passenger, possibly the mother of the child. "It was bleeding. We asked if she was ok and told her the ambulance is on the way. My customer went to the back. She was distorted, so I went to talk to her."
Unfortunately, while the Jacksonville Fire Rescue rushed the baby to a local hospital, medical staff declared them dead. Hours later, Justin Golden was arrested and charged with aggravated manslaughter, vehicular homicide, and failing to render aid, according to the Daily Mail.
Heartbreaking
Barnes said that by the time he witnessed the woman holding the baby, Golden was already gone. However, the tragic sight of the woman will forever haunt him as he is a parent too.
"Now that I'm finding out the details, it's even worse," Barnes said. "Just the screaming, the people consoling her, you could tell it really was tragic. Especially with a kid being that young. It hits home - anything dealing with the kids and you we take very seriously."
According to News 4 Jax, Barnes then opened up his barbershop for any members of the community. All who witnessed the horrifying incident will be able to heal together. In a similar spirit, authorities are working tirelessly to bring justice to the innocent 8-month-old. "We, with our partners at the State Attorney's Office will stop at nothing to get justice for the baby," the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said.
