Only On 8: Teenager who saw Hopewell toddler hit, killed by car speaks

HOPEWELL, Va. (WRIC) — Shock remains among Hopewell's South 19th Avenue neighbors after a two-year-old boy was hit and killed by a car -- among them, a local teenager who witnessed the tragedy.

According to the Hopewell Police Department, a call about the incident came in at 5:49 p.m. on Monday, May 19. Officers responded to the 400 block of South 19th Avenue and found the toddler with "obvious signs of trauma."

Police did not say what exactly happened, nor who hit the child -- but 8News spoke with a neighbor living a few doors down, whose teenage son says he was playing outside when the child was struck.

"I was playing basketball in the street right here [and] I was only out for about 20 minutes, and before I was about to go in, I heard a loud 'boom' as I was walking back into the house," said 13-year-old Zechariah Harris. "I looked over and I saw a little boy laying in the street."

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Harris told 8News it didn't take him long to realize what had happened after seeing the toddler on the ground in the driveway, visibly bleeding.

"There was a car right there, and I stopped for a second," Harris said. "I just ... I guess I just put it all together ... that the kid got ran over."

Zechariah's father, Gilbert Harris, allowed his son to miss a day of school due to what he saw Monday evening.

"Anybody dying doesn't make you feel good ... it could be a child, a man -- anyone," Gilbert Harris said. "A little child losing their life ... definitely not -- that was not a good feeling."

Detectives arrived at the home while 8News was in the area and questioned the toddler's family. They then told news reporters that the family did not want to speak with the media at the moment.

8News reached out to police for additional information and to find out if any arrest or charges had been made. We were told the investigation into the incident was ongoing and no additional information could be released at this time.

This is a developing story. Stick with 8News for the latest.