Photo: GoFundMe
No child should ever have to experience this.
By Jonathan Alfano — Written on Apr 28, 2022
A 6-year-old boy in Connecticut is in the hospital for burns he suffered on his face and legs in a bullying attack.
Dominck Krankall is receiving treatment for second and third-degree burns he suffered on Sunday afternoon outside his home in Bridgeport.
Dominick’s family members say that a neighboring child, 8, covered a tennis ball in gasoline, lit it on fire and threw it at Dominick before running away and leaving him alone.
“As soon as he walked down the stairs, the bully called his name and lured him over around the corner, and in a matter of seconds he came back around the corner screaming, saying 'Mommy, they lit me on fire,’” Dominick’s older sister Kayla Deegan told NBC New York.
Security cameras at the home captured part of the incident. Bridgeport police are reviewing the footage as part of an ongoing investigation.
Dominick’s mother, Maria Rua, says that the neighbor has been bullying her son for the last year.
“That day, they purposefully threw a gasoline-saturated ball that they lit on fire at my son's face,” Rua told ABC New York.
“They called his name so he would turn around. They threw it at Dominick and left him outside alone to die.”
Laura Giacobbe, the mother of the neighboring kid and landlord of the property, denied the claims made against her son by Dominick’s family. She says that Rua agreed to watch the children while she ran errands, but her leaving them unattended led to Dominick’s burns.
“She neglected them,” Giacobbe told ABC New York. “If your child is being bullied, would you leave your child out with somebody being bullied? That's the question.”
Dominick’s family called out Giacobbe and the family for their lack of accountability. Aaron Krankall, Dominick’s father, said that the children quickly get physical with each other whenever they are playing.
He added that Dominick recently suffered a concussion after being pushed by the same child.
"And then maybe 10, 15 minutes goes by and someone gets pushed, someone gets tripped, someone gets hurt,” Aaron Krankall told ABC New York.
"And this has been going on and on, and I am so sick of it...I will not stop, though, until this kid gets put away because this is not OK. I need justice for my son."
Deegan started a GoFundMe page to help cover Dominick’s medical costs and find the family a safer place to move to.
As of Thursday afternoon, 7,700 people have made donations totaling over $388,000 dollars, far surpassing the family’s original goal of $50,000.
Rua said that Dominick is expected to make a full recovery with minimal scarring.
Deegan said in an update to the GoFundMe page that her brother’s condition is improving, and that he was able to eat food for the first time since he was admitted to the hospital.
“He’s such a tough little cookie,” Deegan wrote.
“The bravest 6 year old I've ever known. Being an older sister and so close to your siblings, seeing my baby brother like this is absolutely heart wrenching. No baby should have to lay in a hospital bed like this.”
Jonathan Alfano is a writer who focuses on news and entertainment topics. He majors in journalism at the University of Central Florida with a minor in sports business. Follow him on Twitter.