The parents of a 7-year-old boy who was fatally hit by a car in North Carolina are facing charges for involuntary manslaughter and child neglect for allowing him and his brother to walk home from a grocery store unsupervised.
Legend Jenkins was walking home with his 10-year-old brother in Gastonia on May 27 when the younger boy ran into traffic and was struck by a jeep driven by a 76-year-old woman, according to the Gastonia Police Department.
His mother, Jessica Ivey, told a local news outlet it was the first time she allowed her sons to walk to a nearby grocery store on their own.
“Ivey and the boys’ father, Samuele Jenkins, were arrested Thursday and each charged with involuntary manslaughter and child neglect, both felonies,” the New York Post reported.
Both parents were denied permission to attend his funeral, and are instead being held on a $1.5 million bond, “the highest possible,” according to the Post.
“While the Gastonia Police Department offers its deepest sympathies to the family for the heartbreaking loss of their child, the investigation revealed that the children involved were unsupervised at the time the boy stepped into traffic,” the department said in a statement. “In such cases, adults must be held accountable for their responsibilities to ensure a safe environment for their children.”
Police said the driver is not facing any charges, as they found no evidence of wrongdoing on her part.
Summer Williams, who witnessed the crash, said Legend was hit after running out into the street as his older brother tried to stop him. Williams said she immediately pulled over, got out of her car, and held the dying child in her arms, trying to comfort him until emergency services arrived.
“Even at night, I still see his face,” she said.
“Just letting him know that somebody was there and he wasn’t alone. ‘Stay with us, sweetheart. You’re going to be all right. Stay with us,’” Williams said.
The little boy died from his injuries at a hospital hours later, according to the report.
