TITUSVILLE, Fla. (AP) - The wife of the police chief in a central Florida community accidentally ran over a family friend's 22-month-old son in a parking lot, authorities said.
Pamela Bodenheimer, 51, was backing up from a parking spot Friday night at Titusville High School when she drove over Brady Hutto. She told police she did not see the boy. No charges have been filed.
Bodenheimer's daughter and the boy's sister are teammates on the Auburndale Bloodhounds softball team. The game was postponed after the tragedy.
"We have been in close contact with that family," said Lake Alfred police Chief Art Bodenheimer. "We are a close-knit community that has been impacted greatly. We ask for support and prayers."
A witness tried to perform CPR on the boy before he was taken by ambulance to a hospital, police said. He was pronounced dead soon after arrival.
"It appears to be a tragic accident," said Titusville Police Maj. Todd Hutchinson. "She was absolutely devastated," he said of Pamela Bodenheimer.
Her sport utility vehicle was confiscated for the investigation. There is a potential for a charge of improper backing, Hutchinson said. That will not be determined until the investigation is completed, which could take up to a week.
There was no indication that alcohol was involved, he said.
Most of the crowd had gathered for the softball game when Brady's mother went to get something out of her car in the parking lot. The boy wandered away, and Brady's mother noticed the SUV backing up.
"She witnessed the car backing over her child," Hutchinson said. "She yelled to get the driver's attention, but by then it was too late. The most serious injury was trauma to the chest."
There was an outpouring of support on Twitter from members of the community, including players on the softball team who said they were praying for the boy's family.
Jennifer Sansone wrote: "He was the most adorable, sweetest, loving, & charismatic little boy & will be dearly missed. He was loved by many."
Article from YAHOO NEWS
