ATMORE, Ala. (WEAR) — A 3-year-old boy is dead after police said his 15-year-old sister hit him with a car outside an Atmore daycare Thursday night.
Halloween night police surrounded the ‘Lil Angels Daycare’ on Fillmore Drive.
Paula Fillmore lives next door and saw the aftermath of the accident.
“I could see a car pulled up in the middle of the road you know with the lights on and all of a sudden I saw police cars everywhere,” said Fillmore.
Authorities said they got multiple 911 calls just after 5 p.m. that a boy had been hit by a car in the daycare’s driveway.
“It’s a very sad situation. It’s tragic,” said Atmore Police Chief Chuck Brooks.
Brooks said witnesses saw a girl leaving the daycare with two boys walking behind her.
Yet, police believe she didn’t know they were following her.
Brooks said the 15-year-old then got into an SUV which was parked on the side of the road.
When she pulled into the driveway she accidentally hit one of the kids.
It was her 3-year-old brother.
“She had received her learner’s permit the day before this happened. It’s still under investigation as to why she was in the vehicle. We were told she was pulling the vehicle to the front door,” said Brooks.
Channel 3 News talked to the mother of the siblings who was too devastated to talk on camera.
She said her 3-year-old boy was always happy and full of life.
The mother said her daughter was driving a car that wasn’t owned by the family and she didn’t give her permission to drive that night.
“It’s terrible because Jeannie and Joe Ferrell. the people who own the daycare, are the finest people in the world. Good, Christian people,” said Fillmore.
Right now it’s unclear if anyone will face any charges.
“All aspects of the case are being investigated at this time. When the investigation is complete we will submit all of our findings to a district attorney and eventually it will be presented to a grand jury,” said Brooks.
Channel 3 News also talked to the owner of the daycare, Jeannie Ferrell.
Ferrell didn’t want to talk on camera, but told us she has owned the daycare for more than 20 years and is heartbroken about what happened.