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© St. Petersburg Times, published January 18, 2002
ST. PETERSBURG -- A 5-year-old boy who had been playing football with other boys was hit and killed by a pickup truck Thursday evening while crossing the street in front of Perkins Elementary School.
Police were investigating how the accident happened and whether the driver was at fault. They also were investigating whether it was a hit-and-run accident.
Witnesses said the pickup's driver drove away after running over the child but then returned within minutes. The accident happened about 6:45 p.m. on 22nd Street at 17th Avenue S. The names of the child and the driver were not available Thursday night.
The child, who lives in St. Petersburg, was in the neighborhood because of a death in his family Thursday morning. His relatives had gathered to console one another, said the boy's cousin, Mike Banks, 28.
On Thursday evening, at least a dozen children were throwing a football around on a field near the intersection as some adults watched over them, Banks said.
"The kids play football there all the time," said Banks, whose grandmother died Thursday morning.
Witnesses in the area said they heard the impact, then the screech of brakes. The pickup stopped, and the driver got out of the vehicle, Banks said. "(The driver) stopped. I told him, "I got your license plate number.' He knew what he had done," Banks said. "He jumped in the truck and left."
The pickup returned in a few minutes when police cars showed up, Banks said.
No charges had been filed late Thursday.