Photo: Gastonia Police Department
The parents of a 7-year-old boy who was struck and killed by a vehicle while he and his brother were walking home from a grocery store unattended have been charged in his death.
Jessica Ivey and Samuele Jenkins were arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter and child neglect, both felonies, in relation to the death of Little Legend Jenkins in Gastonia, North Carolina, last week, the Gastonia Police Department confirmed to WSCOC. Ivey claimed the incident was the first time she allowed her sons to walk to a nearby grocery store unattended.
The parents were hit with a $1.5 million bond, the highest possible, and denied permission to attend their son's funeral.
“While the Gastonia Police Department offers its deepest sympathies to the family for the heartbreaking loss of their child, the investigation revealed that the children involved were unsupervised at the time the boy stepped into traffic,” the department said in a statement obtained by the New York Post. “In such cases, adults must be held accountable for their responsibilities to ensure a safe environment for their children.”
The driver of the vehicle involved in Jenkins' death won't be charged as police found no evidence of speeding nor any other wrongdoing. Summer Williams, a witness, said the child darted out into the street as his brother tried to hold him back, which led to her stopping her car and holding the dying boy in her arms.
“Even at night, I still see his face,” Williams said.
Legend was pronounced dead from injuries sustained in the crash at a hospital hours later.