13-year-old boy killed in Fort Worth hit-and-run crash
FORT WORTH, Texas - Family members say a Fort Worth teen killed in a hit-and-run was walking home from school with his sister.
Police say the driver of a white Jeep Cherokee that struck 13-year-old Apollo Rogers Thursday night made no effort to stop before leaving the scene.
Apollo was in the crosswalk when police say the driver ran a red light and hit him.
Tarena Carter says her stepson was walking from school Thursday evening.
"He was trying to come home. That’s all he was trying to do was come home. That’s it," she said. "And then to have his sister witness all of it. It’s crazy right now."
The seventh grader stayed past the final bell at Young Men Leadership Academy for an after-school program.
The 13-year-old boy was crossing Berry Street with his older sister when Fort Worth police say a speeding Jeep Cherokee ran a red light, killing Apollo.
Carter got the call and rushed to the intersection of Berry and Stalcup Road, which is only a half mile away from their home.
Apollo Rogers (Courtesy: Rogers Family)
"It was horrific," she said. "All you saw was blood and everything on the ground. It was not good seeing your 13-year-old child laying on the concrete."
"This one really hits home," said Fort Worth Police Officer Buddy Calzada. "The child was doing exactly what he was supposed to. He was crossing at the crosswalk when he was supposed to. By some of the evidence we were able to gather at the scene, the vehicle did run a red light. It’s gonna be a white or light-colored Jeep Cherokee, and struck the child and just kept going.
Fort Worth police are now reviewing nearby Flock cameras and surveillance video from businesses.
FOX 4 obtained this video Friday from the corner store at the intersection. It shows a white or light-colored Jeep Cherokee pull out of the parking lot at 7:54 p.m. Thursday, just a few minutes before the first 911 call was made.
"The hard thing is this is an intersection that the city designed with a crosswalk. The child was utilizing the crosswalk," Calzada said.
"Just turn yourself in and just do the right thing," Carter pleaded. "I don’t have that anymore. And I wish I could get that back, and I know I can’t."
Anyone with information about the hit-and-run driver is urged to contact the Fort Worth Police Department.
Editor's Note: Fort Worth police originally said the boy was 12 years old. However, his family clarified that the boy was 13 years old.