By SANCHESKA BROWN
Tribune Staff Reporter
sbrown@tribunemedia.net
A THREE-year-old boy is dead and his mother is fighting for her life in hospital after they were the victims of a hit-and-run accident early yesterday morning.
It happened around 6:50am.
According to Assistant Superintendent Craig Stubbs, officer in charge of the Traffic Division, the 26-year-old woman was walking on St Vincent Road, with her
toddler in a stroller, when they were hit by a passing vehicle.
“The mother was pushing her male child in a stroller travelling east on the southern side of St Vincent Road when a vehicle travelling west collided into them. The impact of the hit caused the child, in the stroller, to be dragged 200 plus feet from the initial point of impact. The child, was unfortunately, pronounced dead on the scene. The mother had significant head injuries and is in critical condition in the Princess Margaret Hospital. The driver failed to stop.”
The Tribune understands the child’s name is Rashawn Jodash Kemp and the mother’s is Shavandi Russell.
When contacted, the father, Christopher Kemp, was too emotional to comment other than to say he was heartbroken.
However, a family friend, who did not want to be named said Rashawn was the “cutest, most adorable three-year-old, you would ever see.”
Police canvassed the St Vincent area and retrieved surveillance footage that they think might lead them to the person responsible. Meanwhile the police have urged members of the public to come forward with whatever information they might have. They have also appealed to the driver of the vehicle to come forward.
Police believe that the vehicle is possibly a dark Honda or an Explorer with front-end damage.
“Based on the evidence we collected from the scene, we are trying to determine the type of vehicle it was. The driver had to have known they hit someone. Based on the indentation from the stroller, they have to have known,” ASP Stubbs said.
“We just want the driver to come forward. Just come and say ‘it was me, I did it’. Based on their story, what we believe and what we can prove, we will then make a determination on the charges,” he said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 911 or 919, the Central Detective Unit at 502-9991 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 328-TIPS.
Comments
WellGee 10 years, 11 months ago
This is really painful. I pray that the person responsible for this atrocity turn himself/herself into the police forthwith. If he/she does not and the police don't catch him/her, then I pray that his/her conscience (if there is one) "beat" arrest and convict him/her.
HEARTLESS!!
ThisIsOurs 10 years, 11 months ago
The person is probably frightened. But it would be better for them to come forward than to be found, it makes the charge that much more severe. There was enough light at 650am fir the tmother and child to be visible, maybe the person was distracted, maybe they didn't even know what they hit...
UserOne 10 years, 11 months ago
If you don't know what you hit, you should stop and check. There are no excuses for a hit and run.
ThisIsOurs 10 years, 11 months ago
Yes I agree, I was saying the person may have not known what they hit at the time of impact..i.e. they were distracted. After that I'm not speculating why they didn't stop but I would suspect at this minute they're frightened to come forward.
CommonSense 10 years, 11 months ago
I agree with UserOne. Even if I hit a dog I'll stop and see what is what. Also, I'm pretty sure that the driver looked in their rear view mirror and saw that they left behind a child. This person has no excuse. Fear might have been the reason why they didn't stop but they need to turn themselves in.
SP 10 years, 11 months ago
Hit and runs' are all too frequent in St. Vincent and Carmichael road areas. Several people have been killed in the area by hit and run drivers and the drivers simply totally disappeared.
The area is also well known as a favorite homestead and destination for newly arriving and long time illegal’s.
Coincidence?
positiveinput 10 years, 11 months ago
Didn't a blogger post a license plate number? Don't we have a Road Traffic Department? I guess the police are waiting for the vehicle to be repaired before they do a search into the information that was given.
John 10 years, 11 months ago
Sometimes one needs to investigate the intent of some of the companies operating in this country. Why would a company like Burger King be advertising an "Angry Whopper" in the Bahamas? Why would a company want to sell angry food as opposed to something that is pleasant and filling? Did their research tell them people are angry in the Bahamas or that they wanted to eat angry food? Or are they just contributing freely to the amount of violence that is already going on in this country, sending out subliminal messages? Food for thought.
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