An 8-year-old Virginia boy died saving his 12-year-old sister from sexual assault, Thursday.
Martin Cobb was a resident of Richmond, Va. The incident happened Thursday afternoon. Police said they have arrested the teenage boy responsible for the sexual assault and killing the boy and will perform medical tests on him.
According to Richmond police spokeswoman Dionne Waugh, the alleged assailant will face charges. She said that the suspect is a juvenile.
WRIC reports that the police responded to a call about an assault on the two children at around 6:30 p.m. Thursday. Cobb was declared dead at the scene and his sister was rushed to hospital.
The stepfather and aunt of the children said Cobb was playing with his sister near railroad tracks in their backyard when a man came and sexually assaulted the girl and cut her face. Young Cobb tried to intervene. The man then smashed his head with a rock and Cobb died on the spot, the family says.
Police were initially told a white man was the culprit but upon investigation found the assailant was a teenage black male.
The incident shocked the neighbors who described Cobb as a "lovely little boy." Neighbor Tracy Lightsey said Cobb felt like he was the protector of his sister. "He was his sister's keeper till his death," Lightsey told the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Pastor Theodore Hughey of the Abundant Life Church told CBS News that the siblings were inseparable and always in and out of the church.
Cobb was a student of Redd Elementary School. Richmond Public Schools issued a statement saying their top priority was the wellbeing of their students and staff. "Crisis counselors are currently in place and will continue to be made available to support our Redd Elementary School family and community during this difficult time."
