Florida man accused of fleeing scene in Cocoa hit-and-run, killing 4-year-old, injuring another child
COCOA, Fla. - A man is facing up to 30 years in prison for leaving the scene of a crash that killed a 4-year-old and severely injured a 14-year-old in Cocoa.
Kenneth McGhee turned himself into the Cocoa Police Department last Friday and posted a $30,000 bond over the weekend. The incident happened back on May 26 around 9 p.m., and police said they met their main suspect minutes after he allegedly fled the scene.
Cocoa police said the hit-and-run happened at Washington and State Road 520, where the kids were trying to cross the street. They made it halfway when one of the children dropped their phones. That’s when they were hit, investigators said.
Cocoa police said the man who hit the kids fled the scene, then allegedly called police 15 minutes later saying he did it. Frantic 911 calls from witnesses sent police to a busy intersection off U.S. Highway 1 in Cocoa, where they found two kids left to die in the street.
"The four-year-old, two days later, succumbed to the injuries. The 14-year-old has injuries that will probably impact her for the rest of her life," said Yvonne Martinez, who’s the public information officer with the Cocoa Police Department.
At first, all Cocoa police had to work with was a vehicle description, but 15 minutes after the crash, they said they received a call from a man identified as Kenneth McGhee asking if anyone had reported an accident. He then told police, "I think I did it," according to his charging document.
"If he had just stopped to render aid, he would have been in a lot better situation. And who knows? Maybe the kids would have been, too," said Martinez.
MORE HEADLINES:
- Florida man arrested in deadly shooting of friend over pool pump dispute, sheriff says
- Florida tops education rankings but lags in teacher pay
- First look inside Tiana's Bayou Adventure at Magic Kingdom
Kenneth McGhee's attorney told him to turn himself in to the police last Friday, and he had already bonded out of jail. FOX 35 reporter Esther Bower went to his home to ask him about what happened. He wasn’t there, but she ran into someone who said she'd known him for years.
"For it to be somebody that I personally know and that I hung out with and stuff, I’m completely shocked," said the woman in disbelief. "If you think and thought you hit someone, why didn’t you just stop then, try to aid assistance or something?"
McGhee could face up to 30 years in prison for leaving the scene of an accident that caused death and bodily injury.
"It’s sad. It’s devastating for everybody involved," concluded the suspect’s friend.
Since this accident, a petition started online calling for better lighting or better crosswalks at the intersection where the kids were killed. Police said they are always working with the Florida Department of Transportation on safety improvements, and S.R. 520 is a top priority because it is full of pedestrians.