According to police, an Ohio father attempted to rescue his 12-year-old son, who was being held against his will by another set of parents, and died in the process.
Norman Duncan, 37, a father of five children, was involved in an altercation on April 14 that began when his 12-year-old son and another 12-year-old boy got into a fight in a Cleveland, Ohio neighborhood, according to WJW, a local Fox affiliate.
The other boy’s parents, Marvin Atkins, 46, and Ann Marie Clayton, 43, allegedly intervened and held Duncan’s son against his will. When Duncan arrived at the scene, he allegedly started fighting with Atkins.
Clayton allegedly hit Duncan in the head with a brick, according to WJW.
However, the alleged assault against Duncan was not over. According to WJW, Duncan broke free and attempted to convince his son to get the two of them out of the neighborhood.
While he was walking away, police said Atkins and Clayton got into their Chevy Impala, hopped the curb, and purposefully struck Duncan.
After they allegedly hit Duncan, Atkins and Clayton fled the scene. Family members who spoke with WJW said Duncan’s son was the one who called 911 after his father was allegedly struck.
Duncan was taken to the hospital, where he died from his injuries that day.
According to WKYC, a local NBC affiliate, police later found Atkins and Clayton at a nearby home and arrested them on Wednesday. Both face one charge of vehicular manslaughter.
In an interview with WJW, one of Duncan’s family members referred to the suspects as “cowards,” saying, “They are cowards, he is not. “Norman was a great guy.”
