Single Mom Whose 14-Year-Old Son Shot & Killed A Stranger Who Punched Her In The Face Spent That Morning Donating Money To Help Single Dads
Some tried to victim-blame her, claiming that talking back to the man caused the brutal assault.
Carl Ballou / Golden Days / Hogan Imaging / Shutterstock By now you’ve likely heard of Carlishia Hood, a 35-year-old Chicago mother whose 14-year-old son shot and killed Jeremy Brown, 32, after he argued with her inside of an establishment, then punched her in the face multiple times, before her teenage son entered the business and shot him dead.
On June 18, 2023, Brown entered the Maxwell Street Express, located on the South Side of Chicago around 11 p.m. She left her son inside her vehicle while she went inside to pick up food from a hot dog stand.
Once inside the business, an argument broke out between Hood and Brown, and though it was initially unclear what caused the friction, Brown can be seen aggressively telling Hood that if she kept talking, he was going to “knock her out.” On Hood’s part, she seemed to try to reason with the man and her demeanor didn’t seem malicious, “angry,” or “loud” enough to justify the violence that was to follow.
In a shocking turn of events, Brown delivered on his promise and landed a devastating punch to Hood’s head, followed by another one, before the clip ended. Patrons in the Maxwell Street Express seemingly stood by idly as he continued to beat the woman viciously while his girlfriend allegedly egged him on. The start of the incident is shown here in a video uploaded to TikTok.
At some point during the altercation, Hood texted her son who was still waiting in the car and asked him to come inside of the restaurant with her gun. Once inside, the boy saw the man attacking his mother, pulled out the gun and shot him. Reports allege that the mother and son followed Brown as he ran away, and the teen continued to fire shots at him.
As a result of the incident, Hood and her son were charged with first degree murder. She was also accused of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and was held in Cook County Jail with a $3 million bail.
Public outcry was swift, and prosecutors eventually ended up dropping the charges. They told USA Today, “Based upon our continued review and in light of emerging evidence, today the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office (CCSAO) has moved to dismiss the charges. Based upon the facts, evidence, and the law we are unable to meet our burden of proof in the prosecution of these cases."
An uploaded TikTok video showed the emotional moment when mother and son were freed and reunited.
After her release, Hood held a press conference where she detailed the harrowing experience she and her son were having and thanked her supporters.
“What happened to me was totally unnecessary. Never in a million years could I have imagined being brutally attacked, beaten, and then arrested. I am thankful that the Cook County State’s Attorney dismissed the case. I am also thankful to have my son with me.”
On June 27, 2023, Hood filed a lawsuit against the City of Chicago, naming five officers as defendants. She alleged that they falsely arrested her, maliciously attempted to prosecute her and her son, and put them under extreme emotional distress.
But the impact on the single mother and her son went much deeper than their arrests and distress. According to YouTuber, Paris Milan, the family was doxed and have had a barrage of unwelcome visitors, threats against them, and negative publicity over the false narrative that Hood encouraged her son to keep shooting Brown until he was dead.
But the most surprising thing of all has been the family members and friends of Brown who have spoken out in his defense and even set up a GoFundMe to pay for his funeral expenses. Though they talk about him positively in death, Milan shared details of his past that allegedly show he has a history of problematic behavior.
The anti ‘Protect Black Women’ crowd has also made it a point to try and vilify Hood and make her culpable for her own assault.
People have accused Hood of using her mouth as a weapon, leading to a "reasonable" response from an unhinged Brown, something that routinely happens to Black women who are victimized by men. But commenters on YouTube were quick to point out that narratives and stereotypes being attributed to the woman were completely false.
Photo: YouTube
But a quick scan of Hood’s Facebook page shows her to be a caring and considerate member of her community. As a matter of fact, on the very morning the incident occurred, the giving mother shared that she was celebrating Father’s Day by gifting single dads money to help out.
She said, “I know how it feels not getting texts, gifts, calls, or meals on special days like this.” She selected random men who were her Facebook friends and sent them small donations to celebrate their contributions to their children’s lives.
Ironically, Brown, a father of twin girls, was the exact type of man Hood would have tried to help.
There has been an outpouring of support from around the world for Hood and her 14-year-old who undoubtedly will need help overcoming the trauma that he experienced that fateful day.
A GoFundMe has been set up for the family to cover relocation and transportation to an “emergency shelter” since with all of the press, everyone, including those looking to defend the indefensible, knows where they live. Thus far, the fundraiser has exceeded the $5,000 goal by almost $7,000.
In addition, Nicki Minaj offered to pay Hood’s son’s college tuition and she accepted the generous gift. “That 14-year-old boy that backed that hammer out when a grown man was punching his mother in the face like she was a man is a true hero.”
Thankfully, the dedicated mother and her loving son are free, and she didn’t suffer any life-threatening injuries from the unbelievable attack. The road to recovery will be long and the emotional trauma will always be lying just beneath the surface, but with the support of their loved ones this unnecessary tragedy will turn into a story of survival and overcoming.
NyRee Ausler is a writer from Seattle, Washington. She covers lifestyle, relationship, and human-interest stories that readers can relate to and that bring social issues to the forefront for discussion.