13-year-old riding scooter on spring break found dead in roadside ditch, NC cops say
A 13-year-old boy was riding his scooter during spring break when he was struck by a vehicle and killed, North Carolina police say.
Now, the Greenville Police Department is asking the public for help in finding the vehicle’s driver.
Officers responded to a call about a person lying in a ditch around 1:30 a.m. on March 14, according to a news release. He was identified on Tuesday, March 15, as Jaquile Ray Jackson.
“Investigators believe the suspect vehicle was traveling on MacGregor Downs Road toward B’s Barbecue Road when it struck Jaquile, who investigators believe was traveling on a red non-motorized Razor scooter,” the news release said. “The vehicle left the scene.”
Police say they believe that the incident happened shortly before 1:30 a.m. when the call came in about a person lying in a ditch.
Jackson lived two miles from where his body was found, according to WITN.
Jackson’s aunt, Cherry Artis, shared a photo on Facebook of Jackson on the morning of March 14 before his body was identified, asking the community to keep an eye out for him.
“I’m so hurt they didn’t have to leave my baby like that,” Artis wrote on Facebook, according to WITN.
Jackson was a sixth grader at Pitt Academy, police told WITN. The school is on spring break, according to the academy’s calendar.
Hundreds of community members shared the news of the hit-and-run on Facebook, joining the police in calling for justice.
“This poor kid was hit and left on the side of the road like trash and justice needs to be served,” one commenter wrote. “This hurts my heart so bad. No parent should EVER have to bury their child.”
Anyone who witnessed the incident or may have been in the area of MacGregor Downs Road during the time it happened, is asked to contact the Greenville Police Department at 252-702-4032 or Crime Stoppers at 252-758-7777.
Greenville is about 82 miles west of Raleigh.
This story was originally published March 15, 2022 at 3:04 PM with the headline "13-year-old riding scooter on spring break found dead in roadside ditch, NC cops say."
