MUSKEGON HEIGHTS, Mich. - Police in Muskegon Heights are working to piece together a traffic accident that killed a 6-year-old girl.
According to Muskeon Heights Police Chief Joseph Thomas Jr., around 11:30 a.m. Sunday, a vehicle struck a 6-year-old girl near the intersection of West Oakwood Avenue and 6th Street.
The child was taken to an area hospital, but later died from her injuries.
Police originally said that the girl was five, but family members and neighbors said that she was six.
Witnesses told police the vehicle left the area without stopping. Those witnesses were able to piece together a license plate and investigators used that information to find the vehicle and the driver in Muskegon Heights a short time later.
"I was out doing my yard work in the back, and I came inside to wash my hands" said one neighbor who witnessed the incident. "I heard a noise and I ran outside, and that little girl was laying on the ground. It was horrible. She died right over there."
Another neighbor who lives in the area where the girl was hit spoke with 13 ON YOUR SIDE. "You're just out here hitting kids, and don't stop," she said. "People need to do better in our neighborhood. If you are going to run off and hit a child, you should have made sure that it was ok instead of running off.
Police are not identifying the driver at this point, but they are likely to turn the case over to the Muskegon County Prosecutor's Office for a charging decision. Police are also not identifying the child.
Investigators are looking into where the child was in the road at the time of the accident. The driver is currently in custody.
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