WILSON, N.C. – It's a tragedy sparking international outrage.

Police have charged Darius Sessoms, 25, with the first-degree murder of 5-year-old Cannon Hinnant.

"He loved everybody. He just touched everybody he knew. He had a big heart," said Cannon's mother, Bonny Waddell, who spoke with Spectrum News 1 on Monday.

Authorities said the shooting death happened on August 9. They believe Sessoms walked outside his home and shot Cannon as he was playing with his sisters outside their father's house on Archers Road. Police haven't determined a motive. Waddell says Sessoms was their neighbor for eight years.

"Never had no problems at all. That's why I don't understand," she added.

Waddell doesn't think race played a factor in the shooting.

"If that was the case he [would] had done this years ago," she said.

The family laid Cannon to rest last week; however, tributes continue to pour in from around the world. A GoFundMe page has raised nearly $800,000 for the family. Waddell says she wants to focus on the memories she had with her son.

"My baby is changing the world," she said.

Sessoms remains in custody.

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