Boston Police search for driver who killed 4-year-old boy in Hyde Park hit-and-run
BOSTON - Boston Police are searching for the driver who killed a 4-year-old boy in a hit-and-run in Hyde Park late Tuesday night.
The boy, who has not been identified, was hit by a car on Wood Avenue around 9:30 p.m. The driver did not stop.
An off-duty Boston firefighter who was in the area was the first person to give the child first aid before paramedics arrived. The boy was rushed to Boston Medical Center where he died.
"I think he was crossing the street with his mother to go in the house as he got hit. I just heard this loud, like bang. It sounded like a car accident, like two cars hitting each other and I like jumped. When I looked up, that's when I saw the baby getting ran over. Everybody out here was like just freaking out," witness Rakeem Kelley told WBZ-TV Wednesday.
"I jumped out of the car. I ran over to him. I'm trying to ask him if he's alright, tell him to stay with us and I can see the baby's not going to make it, but I made the call anyway."
Police are asking anyone who saw anything to call them immediately. Investigators are looking for surveillance video in the area hoping to get a description of the car and generate leads in their search for the driver. Kelley said the driver was speeding.
"They were speeding when they hit him and they sped up faster. There was no reaction from the guy or woman, whoever they are, wherever they are. They didn't show any type of human compassion."
"I just want to send our condolences to the family and all of the community members and people who loved this little boy," Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said at a news conference late Tuesday night. "It's absolutely devastating to think about what transpired in just a split second."
"Our hearts and our prayers are with them, with this community," Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden told reporters.
Neighbors in the area said they're frustrated after raising concerns about speeding about Wood Avenue for years. RC Carrington said he's brought his concerns directly to the mayor and even paid for signs asking drivers to slow down.
"They'll be driving so fast I don't think they see the sign," said Carrington.
The mayor said trauma response teams will be in the neighborhood for anyone who needs support.
"Do something about it, people. We're taxpayers, do something about it," one neighbor told WBZ TV. "I'm sick and tired of kids getting killed."
