CHICAGO – A growing memorial marks the spot where 9-year-old Anakin Perez was killed by a car Thursday morning, just steps from his school.
While school officials are calling it an accident, Perez’s family says surveillance video shows it should never have happened.
What we know:
Friends and family members gathered Thursday evening at the spot where Perez, a fourth grader at McNair Elementary school, was killed while heading to school.
Video from a neighbor’s surveillance camera shows Perez rushing through their front gate to cross the street to the school around 9 a.m.
The video shows him run in front of a car driven by a woman who had just dropped her own child off at the school.
“He jumped out in front of you. It doesn’t matter,” said Anna Perez, the boy’s aunt. “There was no brake lights. No nothing. The fact that you continued on, you hit that boy and kept going? It’s not OK.”
Anakin was dragged under the car for about 75 feet before his body rolled to the curb. The woman driving the car continued west on Walton but did later return to the scene.
Anakin’s family is furious after learning the driver has been released from police custody.
“We want justice,” said Alejandra Gallegos, the boy’s mother. “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.”
There were crossing guards on duty when Perez was hit. School officials said it has not made cuts to the crossing guard program. But, 37th Ward Alderwoman Emma Mitts said parents are concerned.
“Who knows better than the people who live here, and have kids dropped off. They seem to think that we need more safe passage workers in the area. For the safety of the kids,” Mitts said.
In a statement, CPS said grief counselors were immediately sent to the school after the incident and will be made available again on Friday.
Family members and friends released balloons outside the school, remembering a young life lost and saying they will work to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
“These cars are not stopping. Going fast. They don’t respect stop signs. We need more people looking out for our kids,” said Valeria Perez.
RELATED: Driver who fatally struck child near Chicago school released without charges: police
The Source: The information in this article was reported by FOX 32’s Dane Placko.