A 9-year-old boy was hit and killed by a car while walking to school in Chicago, officials said.
The crash happened around 7:41 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 18, according to the Chicago Police Department in a statement shared with PEOPLE. Early reports say a light-colored Chevrolet sedan was driving west when it struck the boy near McNair Elementary School. NBC affiliate WMAQ reported that he lived nearby.
The boy has been identified as Anakin Perez by ABC affiliate WLS, Fox affiliate WFLD and WMAQ.
“I’m just devastated. I can’t believe what just happened to my grandson,” his grandmother, Valeria Fernandez, told WLS.
“Our thoughts are with this student’s family during this extremely difficult time,” McNair Elementary School Principal Benetrice Whitfield wrote in a letter to the school community. “This tragic loss is sure to raise many emotions, concerns, and questions for the entire school, especially our students.”
“He loves sports. He loves to play basketball and football. He’s very active in school,” Fernandez said. “He’s just 9 years old, like any normal child, and I just can’t believe what happened to him.”
Perez was taken to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. No one else was hurt. The Chicago Police Department’s Major Accident Investigation Unit is looking into the crash.
Police said the driver received a citation for “pedestrian in roadway-due care,” but no other charges have been made. According to WFLD, a neighbor’s security camera appeared to show the boy run in front of a car driven by a woman who had just dropped off another student.
“We want justice,” Perez’s mother, Alejandra Gallegos, told the station. “Because if she’s a mother herself, how can she go home, hug her kids, kiss her kids, and I can’t do that with my son anymore.”
WMAQ showed a photo of a makeshift memorial near the crash site, including candles, a football, and Perez’s photograph. After his death, his family is calling for more local safety measures.
“We should have more guards here, more people watching over kids because this is something very dangerous,” Perez’s aunt, Yesenia Fernandez, told WLS.
“Our hearts are heavy with grief for this child as well as concern and deep sympathy for his family and loved ones,” a spokesperson for Chicago Public Schools said. Crisis management workers are on campus to support students and staff.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office told PEOPLE that the boy’s cause and manner of death are still pending. “We are awaiting the results of a police investigation,” a spokesperson added.
