11-year-old defending his mother shoots and kills man in Southwest Philadelphia, police say

An 11-year-old boy shot and killed a man who was fighting with the boy's mother inside a Southwest Philadelphia home Thursday night, police said.

Police were called out to the 1100 block of South Peach Street in Kingsessing around 11:30 p.m. and found a 30-year-old man who had been shot once in the face.

The man was visiting his girlfriend's home when police say an argument broke out between the two of them and may have turned physical.

The girlfriend told police her boyfriend was assaulting her when her 11-year-old son grabbed a handgun and shot the boyfriend.

Medics pronounced the man dead on the scene just before midnight. He was later identified as Jaimeer Jones-Walker, of Lansdowne, Pennsylvania.

Investigators on the scene found Jones-Walker's car double-parked in front of the home. The Tesla vehicle is being held by police, and detectives are looking through surveillance cameras for footage that might help with the investigation.

The child lives at home with their mother, and the gun used in the shooting was registered to their mother, according to police. The gun was recovered from the scene.

It's not clear if the child will face any charges.

Neighbors told CBS News Philadelphia on Friday that it was shocking to find out a child was involved, but domestic advocates said situations like this are unfortunately all too common.

"We heard a commotion. We heard fighting," Shyreea, a neighbor who did not provide her last name, said. "Then, like a couple minutes later, we heard the bang go off."

Shyreea said she has heard the couple arguing in the past and described a recent interaction with Jones-Walker.

"We heard them fighting a lot," Shyreea said. "He saw us, and he was like, 'What y'all looking at?' So, we went in the house."

Katie Young Wildes with the organization Women Against Abuse said domestic violence affects about one in three women and one in four men. She said the impacts can be especially hard on kids.

"I think moments like this stop us in our tracks because they remind us how serious domestic violence is, but it's also extremely common," Young Wildes said.

While she acknowledges it can be hard to leave these relationships, she said it's most important for people to know they don't have to do it alone.

"Reaching out is a brave first step," Young Wildes said. "I can't promise it's going to be easy to get out of that abusive relationship, but I can promise that you won't have to do it alone."

Young Wildes said Women Against Abuse provides shelter, legal aid and long-term support to people leaving abusive relationships.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, the following resources are available to help:

National Domestic Violence Hotline

• 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE)
• 1-800-787-3224 (TTY for the Deaf)

Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence

• 1-800-932-4632 (in Pennsylvania)
• 1-800-537-2238 (national)