Parents charged after 7-year-old son killed in car crash.
Gastonia, N.C. police charged the parents with involuntary manslaughter for letting the victim and his brother walk home alone from a nearby grocery store.
The heartbroken parents of a 7-year-old boy who died after being struck by a car were charged with involuntary manslaughter for allowing him and his 10-year-old brother to walk home unsupervised from a nearby grocery store.
Jessica Ivey and Samuele Jenkins were charged two days after their son, Legend, passed away from injuries sustained in a collision with a Jeep on May 27 in Gastonia, North Carolina. The 76-year-old driver will not face any charges.
The Food Lion store is just two blocks from their home. According to The Gaston Gazette, the parents said the children were with their mother when they asked to meet their father at the store, and she allowed them to go. The brothers had to cross a busy four-lane road, choosing to walk between crosswalks.
Jenkins said he was on the phone with his older son when the younger child was struck.
“I heard my oldest son yell, ‘Legend, no!’ so I hung up and ran. I just ran to find them,” he told a local news station.
Two days later, Gastonia police arrested the parents, who are now being held on a $1.5 million bond.
“In these situations, adults must be held accountable for their duty to provide a safe environment for their children,” police said in a statement.
Gastonia police declined to comment to NBC News but stated, “There is no evidence of speeding or wrongdoing by the driver, so no charges have been filed. The driver has been cooperative, and the incident is still under active investigation by the Gastonia Police Department’s Traffic Division.”
The parents’ public defenders did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
Ivey, the mother, told WSOC before her arrest that it was the first time she had allowed the children to walk alone.
“It’s just devastating, I’m still in shock, I’m in shock,” she said. “It’s hard, I haven’t stopped crying; my husband hasn’t stopped crying. Honestly, I want justice for my baby.”
Summer Williams, a witness who was in her car, told WSOC that Legend, seemingly unaware of oncoming traffic, ran into the street, surprising his brother, who tried to stop him. Williams said she comforted the child until paramedics 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 recalled.
