Thirteen-Year-Old Kansas Boy Set on Fire
164 
On Tuesday, according to KCTV 5, a 13-year-old Kansas boy was set on fire by two 16-year-old boys. The boy was rushed to Children’s Mercy Hospital after his face and hair were set ablaze.
The boy was walking home from East High School and actually made it to his home two blocks away on Quincy Avenue when he was assaulted. One of the boys prevented him from entering his house, and the victim said that the second suspect grabbed a red gallon of gasoline and told him, “This is what you get.”
The Kansas City Police Department said that when lighter sparked the gasoline it “produced a large fire ball burning the face and hair.” They were particularly worried about the boy’s eyes and lungs and also stated that this was a particularly “heinous crime.” They are also considering if this was a hate crime because all that is known is that the victim is white, and the two suspects are black.
According to KMBC, the boy managed to put the fire out using the shirt he was wearing and called 911 on his own before calling his dad. Melissa Coon, the boy’s mother, said, “You could smell the burned skin. You could smell the burned hair. It was just awful.”
Since the boy has returned home, reports are now saying that the suspects said, “This is what you deserve. You get what you deserve, white boy.” Sites such as The New American are saying this was previously edited out so as to not cause any racial controversy.
If it was or was not a hate crime, it is still unbelievably awful. The boy suffered first degree burns but hopefully will be able to fully recover. No one has been arrested as of yet, but the parents obviously plan to go after whoever it was who attacked their son.
