The parents of a 7-year-old boy killed by a car while crossing a roadway in North Carolina have been charged with manslaughter and are being held in jail on a $1.5 million bond, according to authorities.
Police said the toddler was hit by a Jeep Cherokee on May 27 in Gastonia, which is located west of Charlotte.
He was attempting to cross the street outside of a crosswalk with a 10-year-old boy when the accident occurred, according to the Gastonia Police Department. He suffered life-threatening injuries and died in the hospital.
His parents, Jessica Ivey, 30, and Samuele Jenkins, 31, were charged two days after the fatal crash with felony involuntary manslaughter, criminal child negligence, and misdemeanour child maltreatment, according to police.
According to ABC Charlotte station WSOC, the parents identified the older youngster as the boy’s brother.
The Gastonia Police Department stated in a press release that their investigation “revealed that the children involved were unsupervised at the time the boy stepped into traffic.”
“In such cases, adults must be held accountable for their responsibilities to ensure a safe environment for their children,” a department spokesperson said.
A judge set the parents’ bond at $1.5 million during a court hearing on Friday. According to online jail records, they remain in detention at the Gaston County Jail. They have yet to enter a plea to the allegations.
ABC News contacted Ivey’s public defender for comment, but did not receive an immediate answer. Jenkins’ attorney stated that he was appointed to the case on Wednesday and had yet to receive any documents.
The 76-year-old female driver of the Jeep has not been charged, according to police.
“At this time, there is no evidence of speeding or wrongdoing on the part of the driver, so no charges have been filed,” the Gastonia Police Department stated. “The driver continues to be cooperative and the incident remains under active investigation by the Gastonia Police Department’s Traffic Division.”
The youngster who was fatally struck was not identified by police, but his parents told WSOC prior to their arrest that his first name was Legend.
Ivey told WSOC that her two sons were walking home from a shopping centre for the first time on their own when the accident occurred.
“It was simply devastating. “I am still shocked,” she told WSOC.
“It is hard. I’ve not stopped crying. She told the channel, “My husband hasn’t stopped crying.”
Ivey said that she wants “justice for my baby” against the motorist, whose name has not been made public.
“I just don’t feel like she should still be able to drive,” Ivey told WSOC.
Jenkins told WSOC that he was on the phone with his boys when the collision happened.
“I heard my oldest son, he was like, ‘Oh my God, Legend, no, no,'” he told the broadcaster. “I hung up and…” “I ran to find them.”
The parents’ next court appearance is planned for June 20.
Reference: Parents charged with manslaughter after their 7-year-old son fatally struck by car in North Carolina