Dad defends mom charged with killing their 12-year-old son: 'Mental illness is real'

A grieving Chicago father defended the mother accused of shooting and killing their 12-year-old son, calling attention to mental illness and sharing his heartbreak. 

Lavell Ingram's son was killed inside his home on Chicago's South Side on Saturday, according to several Chicago media outlets. The boy's mother, Fallon Harris, has been charged with Kaden Ingram's murder after a Chicago police investigation. 

"He was the joy of my life," Lavell Ingram told ABC 7 Chicago. "He was everything a father could want in a child. It hurts. It is hard to describe." 

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According to CBS 2 Chicago, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office cited audio and video evidence that captured Harris, 37, growing irate at Kaden when he wouldn't give her an SD memory card from their vehicle.

Chicago police detectives said the recovered audio caught Harris opening fire on Kaden. He was still conscious after the first shot; then video caught Harris shooting Kaden a second time. The seventh grader was pronounced dead at the University of Chicago Medical Center. Harris confessed to the shooting to family members over the phone and then to police who arrived on the scene. 

Harris' family members told ABC 7 Chicago she was struggling with mental illness and seeing a therapist. 

"His mom is a loving mom," Lavell Ingram said. "She loved him more than she loved anything in the world." 

Harris appeared in bond court Monday and was being held in jail without bond. She faces a life in prison if convicted. 

Gun violence continues to run rampant in Chicago. According to midsummer records from the Chicago Sun-Times, of nearly 1,500 shooting victims, at least 52 were 15 or younger. More than 100 people were shot over Father's Day weekend, including at least 12 minors, five of whom died.