CLEVELAND, OH – A harrowing attempt by a father to rescue his 12-year-old son ended in tragedy, as the father lost his life in a violent confrontation with another set of parents, local police reported.
The situation unfolded on April 14, when a neighborhood scuffle between Norman Duncan’s son and another 12-year-old boy escalated beyond control. During the altercation, police stated that the other boy’s parents, Marvin Atkins and Ann Marie Clayton, intervened and allegedly kept Duncan’s son against his will.
Duncan, a 37-year-old father of five, rushed to the scene to retrieve his son. Eyewitnesses recounted that upon his arrival, Duncan was drawn into a fierce fight with Atkins while attempting to free his son.
In a shocking turn of events, Clayton allegedly struck Duncan with a brick, police said, intensifying the violent encounter. Despite his injuries, Duncan managed to break free and tried to leave the scene with his son. However, the ordeal took a deadly twist when Atkins and Clayton reportedly drove their Chevrolet Impala over the curb, intentionally running Duncan down.
The attackers fled the scene, leaving Duncan’s son to call emergency services in a desperate attempt to save his father. Paramedics rushed Duncan to a hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries later that day.
Law enforcement officials located and arrested Atkins and Clayton at a nearby residence days after the incident. Both have been charged with vehicular manslaughter, according to court records.
The community mourns the loss of Duncan, remembered by family and friends as a devoted father and a courageous man. “He was a heck of a guy,” shared a grieving relative, highlighting Duncan’s bravery in contrast to the alleged actions of Atkins and Clayton.
Authorities in Cleveland continue to investigate the circumstances leading up to the tragedy as residents grapple with the incident’s impact on their neighborhood.