Police in Tennessee have revised an earlier statement that a 3-year-old boy was killed after he was struck by a vehicle. The boy’s family and police now say he is still alive.
As Fox 13 reports, Roy Junior McKinney was struck by a car Tuesday while crossing a street in Memphis with his cousin. There are conflicting reports on exactly where and when the boy was pronounced dead: The Fox 13 report says he was pronounced dead at the scene, but a Twitter post from the Memphis police department indicates he was taken to a hospital in critical condition and pronounced dead at the hospital.
@ 11:00 a.m., ofcrs responded to a pedestrian-related crash @ 2783 Rangeline. The victim, a 3-year-old, was struck by a vehicle. The victim was xported in critical condition but was later pronounced deceased. The driver remained on the scene. This investigation is ongoing.
— Memphis Police Dept (@MEM_PoliceDept) March 9, 2021
Authorities later revised the statement, after learning that the little boy had been revived in the hospital, where he remains in critical condition. But family members reportedly said he is improving.
“You know little Roy, they pronounced him dead on the scene,” Roy McKinney told Fox 13 News.“When he got here, they gave him a heartbeat back.”
“So far, you know he’s doing better. So we are just praying right now that he just recovering, you know make a full recovery so that he can come home. I’m just ready for my son to come home. I don’t care what it costs, what it takes. I don’t care what happens. I just want my son to come home.”
Police have not yet released results of the investigation, and it is not clear if the driver who struck the little boy is expected to face any charges.
This is a developing story. CrimeOnline will provide further updates when more information is available.
Feature image: F. Muhammad from Pixabay
