He won’t lift a finger to help cops nail the low-life who gunned down his baby boy, but the father who was the likely target of the shooting doesn’t mind profiting from his son’s murder.
A man claiming to be Anthony Hennis, tragic Antiq Hennis’ gangbanger dad, called The Post yesterday trying to solicit blood money to tell his side of the story.
“It doesn’t have to be like you’re paying me to talk,” said the man, who insisted he was fielding offers from other media outlets, including one he said came from the Daily News for $15,000.
“You could be donating to help my family,” the caller said. “I just got to take care of my family, the ones I do have left.”
When asked how his family is holding up, the man said, “They’re not doing good at all. They don’t feel safe.”
The caller left a number and cut the call short, saying he believed he was “being recorded.” Before he hung up, he said he was staying with his grandmother and could be reached there.
A cross-reference check of the number showed it is, in fact, associated with Hennis’ grandmother, the woman he and Antiq were on their way to see when shots rang out Sept. 1 on a Brownsville street corner.
Several friends of Hennis, whose family members held him back last week from attacking members of the media outside his home, confirmed he was soliciting money from news outlets, although Hennis himself was later unavailable for comment at his home.
The Post did not comply with his request.
Spokesman Ken Frydman said the Daily News didn’t cough up the cash, either.
“The answer is no,” Frydman said. “He did ask for money, but the paper didn’t pay him.”
Sources said Hennis, 21, was the intended target when bullets ripped through the 16-month-old boy’s stroller during their early-evening walk.
But cops said Hennis, who has a criminal record that includes 23 arrests, refuses to identify the killer or provide any details about the shooting or the beef that resulted in the innocent toddler’s death.
“He’s an active gang member,” a law-enforcement source said. “They rarely talk to us.”
“They don’t snitch.” another source said. “Snitching is a big no-no with them. And he probably wants to handle it himself, which will make more work for us.”
Police have arrested a suspect, Daquan Breland, 23, but Hennis’ stonewalling “could seriously affect the case,” according to one source who described the testimony of a material witness and intended target as “important.”
Another source suggested that investigators could seek a court order compelling Hennis to testify.