Boy, 7, riding bike west of Twin Cities home is struck, killed by teen driver

A teenage driver hit and killed a 7-year-old boy who was riding a bicycle near his home in western Hennepin County.

The crash occurred about 8 p.m. Friday in the 7500 block of Greenfield Road in Greenfield, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office said.

The boy was identified as Seth Charles Davis in a court filing by the Sheriff’s Office. In response to the filing, a judge allowed the agency to collect two cellphones from the car that struck the boy. An investigation is underway to determine whether the 17-year-old driver, who lives in nearby Loretto, will be charged with a crime.

According to a Sheriff’s Office and the court filing, the driver told law enforcement that he was texting with someone while in his driveway on Ingram Street, but was not on his cellphone when he left and turned right on Greenfield Road. Seth was riding his bike down Greenfield Road when he was hit by the car.

After hitting the boy about a quarter-mile into his drive, the teen stopped and called his father to tell him what happened. His father, a nurse, provided life-saving care to Seth until paramedics arrived and took over. Seth was pronounced dead at the scene.

“This is a tragedy,” read a statement from Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Megan Larson, “and we are holding family and friends in our thoughts and prayers.”