Young trick-or-treater hit and killed crossing Minneapolis parkway

The driver stopped and cooperated with police after hitting the child about 9:25 p.m. in Minneapolis.

November 2, 2015 at 2:09AM
Emergency personnel were on the scene where a trick-or-treater was hit and killed in Minneapolis.
Emergency personnel were on the scene where a trick-or-treater was hit and killed in Minneapolis. (Paul Walsh — Submitted photo/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

A 5-year-old trick-or-treater was run over by a car and killed while crossing Victory Memorial Parkway in north Minneapolis well after dark Saturday, authorities said Sunday.

The driver, from Minneapolis, stopped after hitting the boy about 9:25 p.m. on westbound Memorial Parkway near Knox Avenue N. and was cooperating, police said.

Officers responding to the scene found the boy in critical condition after he was trapped under the car, according to police.

The boy was taken to North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale, where he died. His identity has yet to be released.

Police do not believe that the driver, whose identity has not been disclosed, was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. There is no word on whether the driver was speeding or distracted.

Authorities have yet to say whether the boy was crossing at a designated spot on the parkway.

Adults were with the boy, who was out for trick-or-treating, said police spokesman John Elder, who added that he did not know whether the child was wearing reflective clothing or carrying any illumination.

On Sunday evening, the boy's family circled a growing memorial near the site of the collision. About two dozen relatives hugged one another and lit candles.

Balloons, flowers and a white cross with the word "hijo" — Spanish for son — sat in a tire track left in the grass near where the boy was hit.

"The car was on the grass on the north side of the parkway," said John Harris, who lives nearby. "I saw [emergency responders] working on someone next to the car and saw them put him on the gurney."

The portion of the parkway — also known as Victory Memorial Drive — where the boy was hit runs east-west and parallel to 45th Avenue N.

Star Tribune staff writer Karen Zamora contributed to this report. Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482

A small bouquet was left in a skid mark left by the car that fatally struck a trick-or-treater along Victory Memorial Parkway.
A small bouquet was left in a skid mark left by the car that fatally struck a trick-or-treater along Victory Memorial Parkway. (Paul Walsh — Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
(Paul Walsh — Minneapolis police/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
A boy trick-or-treating was run over and killed Saturday night along Victory Memorial Parkway.
A boy trick-or-treating was run over and killed Saturday night along Victory Memorial Parkway. (Paul Walsh — Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Near the intersection of Knox Ave. and Memorial Parkway, neighborhood residents Sarah Goldammer and Rachel Kurtz hugged. Kurtz brought a homemade cross and a wreath to remember a five-year old boy was killed while trick or treating on Halloween.
Near the intersection of Knox Ave. and Memorial Parkway, neighborhood residents Sarah Goldammer and Rachel Kurtz hugged. Kurtz brought a homemade cross and a wreath to remember a five-year old boy was killed while trick or treating last night.]Richard Tsong-Taatarii/rtsong-taatarii@startribune.com ORG XMIT: MIN1511011544080373 (Star Triune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
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Paul Walsh

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Paul Walsh is a general assignment reporter at the Star Tribune. He wants your news tips, especially in and near Minnesota.

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