A 17-year-old who rescued three children who fell through an icy pond a year ago in Pennsylvania was accidentally killed Sunday by another teenager.
Upper Darby Police found Anthony Alexander suffering from a gunshot wound to his face, and he was later pronounced dead at a local hospital, NBC Philadelphia reported. The gunman was identified as 16-year-old Diamire Hickman, who was allegedly posing with a gun on Instagram Live, according to the outlet. (RELATED: ‘It Went Off By Mistake’: Family Reacts To Livestreamed Shooting That Killed 12-Year-Old, 14-Year-Old)
RIP 17 year old Anthony Alexander. We celebrated him on @6abc last year as a hero for saving kids from an icy pond. He was shot and killed Saturday in Upper Darby. The suspect said the gun accidentally fired being passed around on an Instagram livestream https://t.co/jiTuDVCs3j pic.twitter.com/Wqxc6CLQwC
— Beccah Hendrickson (@Beccah6abc) January 31, 2023
Hickman claimed that he accidentally shot Alexander while a group was passing around a gun. The teenager surrendered the next day and now faces third-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter and other charges, NBC10 Philadelphia reported. His bail has also been set at 10% of $750,000.
The outlet interviewed Alexander in 2022 after rescuing the children.
“They were like, ‘Help me. Help me. We’re going to die.’ I was like, ‘Nah, you’re not going to die,'” Alexander said at the time, according to the outlet.
Alexander was set to receive a Young Hero Award from the Congressional Medal of Honor Society in March according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. The award is given to young people under 17 for displaying “courage in a dire situation.” He also received a certificate of valor from Collingdale’s mayor for his actions.