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Slain barber called a hero for protecting little boy

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) – The man fatally shot in a Connecticut barbershop last weekend died trying to protect the life of a little boy whose hair he had just cut.

Police and co-workers are calling Deon Rodney a hero.

The 32-year-old Rodney was shot in the abdomen inside the Just Right Cutz barbershop in Bridgeport on Saturday evening when the gunman chased another man into the shop.

Justin Riley, owner of the barbershop, tells the Connecticut Post that Rodney punched and tackled the gunman and the weapon went off during the scuffle. Riley says Rodney had a son about the boy’s age and had an intense dislike for bullies.

There were several other customers in the shop at the time.

Police Capt. Roderick Porter called Rodney’s death “tragic.”

The shooter remains at large.