Though only 11 years old, Terrance felt he needed to do something to stop the attack on the two women in his life, his mother, 35-year-old Tracy Anderson, and his 27-year-old cousin, Kenyetta Parker. His mother’s boyfriend, Timothy Pender, had allegedly been beating his mother up for half an hour. Although terrified, Terrance felt he needed to act. He ran into the kitchen and grabbed a small knife. He then watched the attack unfold more. Says Terrance:
I didn’t say anything. I just stood there for two or three minutes. I wanted to see if he would get off her. But he didn’t. He was choking my cousin. She was punching him, trying to get him off. That’s when I thought — I had enough
So Terrance stabbed the man in the back. He then ran out of the apartment and down the street. A stranger found him, brought him to her apartment, and dialed 911. The cops then came and arrested Pender.
Terrance told the Daily News that he now wants to be a police officer and help “put away people” like Pender, who has been charged with second degree assault.
Terrance’s mom is grateful to her son and says, “That’s my boy.” But no child should ever be put in this position. The trauma that Terrance has just been through cannot be for nothing. For Terrance’s mother to truly thank her child, I hope she never lets this creep back into their lives.
