ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — A West Augustine family is mourning the loss of their six-year-old boy who was struck and killed in a tragic crash last night.
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The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Tuesday “there are no outstanding suspects, vehicles, or witnesses” in the death of a 6-year-old child.
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Deputies first responded Monday night around 6:16 p.m. to North Volusia and West King streets “to an incident involving a 6-year-old child who was possibly struck by a vehicle,” SJSO said. The boy was rushed to the hospital where he couldn’t be saved.
Action News Jax spoke with some family members, and they are heartbroken. At the intersection where the incident happened, family and friends created a makeshift memorial for the little boy named Riley.
“Now, someone’s baby is gone,” neighbor Rhuné Callahan said.
Related Story: St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office says 6-year-old dead in hit-and-run
SJSO said people found the child in the road, but there were no witnesses to the incident. On Monday night, SJSO said the child’s death was a “hit-and-run incident,” but as of today, that is no longer the case.
In an update Tuesday, SJSO said they found “several investigative leads” and they’ve all “been accounted for.” They are no longer looking for a suspect, and no one has been detained. But the investigation continues. And, the family is asking for privacy.
Now, neighbors are asking for more safety measures to be placed here.
“A mere baby’s now gone, because of insufficient lighting out here,” Callahan said. “What is it gonna take; do[es] someone have to lose their life, just because a few bucks the county want to save?”
Callahan has lived in this neighborhood for more than 20 years and she says she is concerned about the three-way stop and drivers speeding.
Read: Man walking on First Coast Expressway dies after being hit by 6 cars, Florida Highway Patrol says
“We need lighting,” Callahan said. “And not just like that three-way lighting, we need more lighting on this street, period.”
Action News Jax reached out to St. Johns County about what they plan to do with this intersection, and the spokesperson said, “We’ve reviewed the intersection of West King and Volusia Street and it meets traffic signal warrants. We will start programming this work as a Capital project, which may be a signal or possible roundabout.”
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