A Florida father is accused of running over and killing his eight-month-old child, whom he placed in the middle of a busy intersection.
Justin Golden, 20, was driving in the intersection of Lenox and McDuff avenues in Jacksonville at around 11 am on Saturday when he allegedly got into an argument with the passenger – who is believed to be the child’s mother, News 4 Jax reports.
‘The driver stopped the vehicle at the intersection, opened the door and placed the child on the ground,’ the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office claimed.
‘The driver then began to leave the area and the vehicle struck the child.’
Golden continued to flee the scene, but officers were able to quickly locate him and take him into custody.
Attempts to rescue baby
Meanwhile, paramedics rushed the baby to the hospital, where doctors pronounced the infant dead.
Markin Barnes, a father of twins, witnessed the tragedy.
He said he was working at his nearby barbershop when he heard a woman screaming and ran outside.
‘The kid was bleeding, so we immediately asked did she need help,’ he recounted, noting that by the time he got outside the driver had already fled the scene.
Barnes said he will never forget the image of the woman holding the bleeding baby.
‘Now that I’m finding out the details, it’s even worse,’ he told First Coast News. ‘Just the screaming, the people consoling her, you could tell it really was tragic.
‘Especially with a kid being that young,’ he said. ‘It hits home – anything dealing with the kids and you; we take very seriously.’
Justice
Jacksonville police are continuing to investigate the incident, and have not yet clarified whether Golden ran over the child on purpose.
‘We, with our partners at the State Attorneys’ Office, will stop at nothing to get justice for the baby,’ the sheriff’s office said.
Golden is now facing charges of aggravated manslaughter, vehicular homicide and failing to render aid, and is being held at Duval County Jail without bond.
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