According to officials, a boy was killed and two other children were injured when a vehicle struck them outside a Texas elementary school.
According to Dallas Police Department Assistant Chief Catrina Shead, a pickup truck struck the three children and an adult near Felix Botello Elementary School in Dallas.
She stated that police responded to the incident around 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 22. Police announced on X that they were “investigating a major accident in the 200 block of south Marsalis Avenue.”
According to Shead, Dallas Fire Rescue transported an adult and three children who were hit by a car on the scene to nearby hospitals.
One of the children died from the injuries sustained in the incident, while the other two were in “critical but stable condition.” The adult was transported in a “stable condition.”
According to WFAA-TV, the boy who died is 9-year-old Jose Garcia Ledesma, as confirmed by the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s office.
The Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office did not immediately return PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Shead added that the driver involved in the incident stopped after the incident, and that there “does not appear” to have been any “speeding involved.”
Jose’s mother, Deyaneira Ledesma, told KXAS-TV that she was walking with her twins, Jose and Keyla, and another student back to their apartment complex across from the elementary school when they were hit by a car. She told the outlet that she had looked both ways before crossing but had not been in a crosswalk.
Deyaneira told KXAS-TV that her daughter Keyla had broken her leg and hip. In a translated post for the outlet, she referred to her son as her “little angel,” “greatest love,” and “everything.” The family has begun fundraising for funeral costs on CarsonsVillage.org.
The family wrote on the website that Jose, a student at Felix Botello Elementary, found happiness in simple things like playing soccer, splashing in water, and dancing. He will be remembered as an energetic dancer who always made others smile. Jose’s memory will live on in the hearts of those who knew and loved him.
Jose’s vigil was held on Friday, May 23, at Felix Botello Elementary School, according to WFAA-TV. One of the school’s parents, Cynthia Rocha, told the outlet that Jose’s death was “very sad” and that changes should be made to make the area safer.
“It’s not so much the children. It’s the cars,” Rocha said about the traffic on South Marsalis Avenue. “They exit the freeway and go. Or they’re about to get on the freeway and drive fast. We do not have any speed bumps. We have one crossing guard. But we do need a change.”
