Plenty of soul-searching needs to go around in the wake of last week's hit-and-run deaths of a teenager and his 3-year-old brother. The boys were killed on a dark, busy street, struck down on a road notorious as a shortcut through a congested Tampa neighborhood.
The story of what happened has changed since Wednesday, as is the nature of ongoing investigations, especially those so public and tragic. Four siblings, ages 2 to 13, walked home from a community center Wednesday evening after watching pickup basketball games. As they crossed 22nd Street near 142nd Avenue, the children were hit by at least one vehicle. Durontae Caldwell, 3, was killed, along with his brother, Bryant Wilkins. Eight-year old Aquina was hospitalized and underwent surgery on her leg. Her brother, LaJuan Davis, 2, was discharged Friday night.
While authorities still are piecing the case together, a major break came Monday, when Jennifer Porter, a 28-year-old elementary school teacher, said she was driving the car that investigators suspect struck the children. Authorities are looking for two more vehicles they believe may have been involved.
Police complain that traffic moves too fast on 22nd. Several street lights near the crash scene were out. The community center - by design - is a magnet in the community, but many locals must get there by darting across a dangerous street.
The outcry over this preventable tragedy has prompted some immediate responses to frustrations the community has voiced for years. The power company fixed the lights, and officials hope to fast-track new safety improvements on 22nd. It is inexcusable that it took these deaths for the government to make a safe corridor around a landmark community center. Hillsborough County and the state have long failed to address the interconnected problems in this area west of the University of South Florida campus, from the heavy traffic cutting through the residential neighborhood to the role that poverty and a transient population play in the area's quality of life.
Whatever the circumstances leading to their deaths, it is beyond imagining how anyone could leave a child crumpled, suffering on the street. As this case progresses, it is important to remember that street lights, crosswalks and the rest contributed only to a point. Two children are dead, two were hurt, and only one person to date has taken any responsibility. It's amazing how boundless self-interest can be.
