It was a tearful goodbye for a boy killed in a hit and run crash this week.
Tuesday night, friends and family gathered on a corner in north St. Louis to mourn the death of Brinyn Leachman, who was killed in a hit-and-run accident. Leachman would have turned 11 years old on Tuesday.
The crash happened early Monday morning, at the corner of Union Boulevard and Wabada Avenue. Police say the driver of a 2016 Dodge Durango hit the left rear of a 2002 Ford Explorer, which sent the Explorer spinning.
Leachman was a passenger in the Explorer, and ejected from the vehicle. He later died at a local hospital. Police say the driver of the Durango fled the scene on foot.
“I’ve had to ask God, what did I do wrong? I just don’t understand it,” said Robert Slack, who said he was the boy’s father.
“Your child is supposed to bury you, you’re not supposed to bury your child,” he said.
Police said Leachman was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. Four other people in the Explorer, including the driver, were hospitalized and last listed in stable condition.
Police are still investigating the crime, and do not have anyone in custody yet. At the vigil for the boy Tuesday night, loved ones held signs begging the hit-and-run driver to come forward.
“Somebody always knows something, but nobody ever speaks up about anything,” said family friend, Camron Rhodes. “If this was one of your children, one of your family members, you’d want somebody to say something.”
“Just turn yourself in,” Slack said. “If it was your [family], what would you do?”
