Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Boy, 4, killed on way home from brother’s funeral

Domantea McDonald ran into a street in Queens where he was hit by the vehicle, police say

Graeme Massie
Los Angeles
Wednesday 24 August 2022 03:11 BST
Comments
Four-year-old Domantea McDonald was struck by a car and killed as he made his way home from his own brother’s funeral in New York
Four-year-old Domantea McDonald was struck by a car and killed as he made his way home from his own brother’s funeral in New York (Facebook/Michael McDonald)

A four-year-old boy was struck by a car and killed as he made his way home from his own brother’s funeral in New York.

Domantea McDonald was outside his uncle’s home in Queens following the funeral of 18-year-old Tysheem McDonald, when the tragedy struck.

Authorities say that the youngster broke away from his mother and ran into the street where he was hit by a Toyota RAV4. Police say that the driver of the vehicle stayed at the scene of the accident and has not been charged with anything.

Tysheem McDonald was shot and killed earlier this month in what police believe was a gang-related hit. No one has been arrested in connection with his killing.

“There’s nothing inside me. There’s nothing. I’m empty,’’ Domantea’s dad, Michael McDonald, told The New York Post.

“I just came from burying my (older) son. (Domantea) was only here for a split second to see me. … He wasn’t supposed to leave the world like that.”

After he was struck, Domantea was still conscious but his family says that when EMS arrived he tried to crawl to his mother and died on the pavement.

The FDNY says that they began “life-saving operations” as they transported the youngster to the hospital, but he could not be saved.

Police said that he sustained “severe head trauma and internal injuries” and was pronounced dead at Long Island Jewish Medical Center.

“Domantea had special needs. He was the most wonderful soul in the world, the most wonderful boy anybody could want to meet,” added his father.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in