Three days after pressure from conservatives, CNN finally covered the alleged brutal execution-style murder of five-year-old North Carolina boy Cannon Hinnant in a 218-word blurb posted early Friday morning.
On Sunday night, 25-year-old Darius Sessoms allegedly ran up to Cannon while the boy was playing on his bike in his front yard and shot him in the head while his two sisters, aged seven and eight, looked on.
According to a report Thursday night on Fox News, it’s suspected that Sessoms, who lives next door to the victim’s father, was upset that Cannon rode his bike on his lawn earlier in the day.
Medical attention could not save the child and Cannon was pronounced dead at a nearby medical center.
Sessoms was apprehended on Monday and has been charged with first-degree murder.
As noted by The Daily Wire, CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC, New York Times, NPR, The Washington Post, and MSNBC had all neglected to cover the attack as of Thursday.
Fox News was one of the only mainstream outlets to cover the tragic news.
This prompted prominent conservatives to question the mainstream media blackout on Cannon’s murder, sparking a #SayHisName hashtag.
Daily Wire podcast host Matt Walsh and author Ryan Girdusky were among the first conservatives to draw attention to the case and media blackout.
In a viral tweet on Tuesday, Walsh wrote, “Say his name. 5 year old Cannon Hinnant was executed in cold blood while riding his bike. The accused killer is Darius Sessoms. He allegedly walked up to the boy and shot him dead in front of his sisters.”
“Reverse the races and this is the only thing anyone talks about for a month,” Walsh posited.
Say his name. 5 year old Cannon Hinnant was executed in cold blood while riding his bike. The accused killer is Darius Sessoms. He allegedly walked up to the boy and shot him dead in front of his sisters. Reverse the races and this is the only thing anyone talks about for a month pic.twitter.com/5V72YhAOlI
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) August 11, 2020
“We need justice for 5-year-old Cannon Hinnant who was murdered in cold blood,” Girdusky said Tuesday.
We need justice for 5-year-old Cannon Hinnant who was murdered in cold blood.
https://t.co/I8DNOPAgVb pic.twitter.com/eA0AIGGn26— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) August 11, 2020
Three days later, CNN reported on the murder early in the morning via CNN.com and CNN International.
Police have charged a 25-year-old man with first-degree murder after they say he shot and killed a 5-year-old boy last week in Wilson, North Carolina. https://t.co/luzzN139lM
— CNN International (@cnni) August 14, 2020
“Police have charged a 25-year-old man with first-degree murder after they say he shot and killed a 5-year-old boy last week in Wilson, North Carolina,” the report said.
“I was looking at him as I was picking up Cannon, and I was so full of rage, but I could not leave my son’s side,” Mr. Hinnant recalled. “I just wanted to be with my son.”
As of Friday morning, NBC, CBS, ABC, New York Times, NPR, The Washington Post, and MSNBC have all yet to cover the shooting of young Cannon.