Brockton Teen Killed By SUV 'A Good Boy,' Father Says
BROCKTON (CBS) – The teenager hit and killed by an SUV in Brockton has been identified.
Madio Djalo, 14, a freshman at Brockton High School, was riding a bike on Main Street around 6:40 p.m. Tuesday when he was struck by the vehicle, the Plymouth County District Attorney said. Djalo died at the scene.
"He was a good boy," his father said Wednesday. Djalo was either going to or coming from a friend's house, where he sometimes did homework, when he was struck.
"He had a lot of friends, he liked school," his father continued. The family found out about the accident last night, after investigators showed Djalo's father a picture of him on his phone. "I said, 'that's my son,'" the boy's father said.
Djalo was not carrying an ID on him at the time of the crash.
The driver, an 18-year-old, stopped immediately and stayed with investigators. Brockton Mayor Bill Carpenter said the teen was "clearly visibly shaken." His name has not been made public yet.
"Investigators are seeking a warrant to remove the black box from the vehicle that struck the young man," Carpenter said. "That will give them ... information such as the speed that the vehicle was traveling."
Carpenter said he's heard nothing but good things about Djalo since his death.
"By all accounts, he was a great kid," he said," he was a good student, and well liked by his teachers and other students."
.@MayorBillCarp says of the tragic Brockton crash, "I am a father of 6 and I know some family's life changed forever tonight." #WBZ
— Nicole Jacobs (@NicoleJacobsTV) October 19, 2016
No charges have been filed at this point in the investigation.
"It was with great sadness that we had to inform our students and staff about the loss of one of our students," Brockton High Principal Sharon Wolder said in a statement.
"Though he was a freshman at BHS, he was well known and liked by his classmates, teachers and counselors. The loss of a student is always difficult and impacts our entire BHS family. Our crisis management team, with the support of additional adjustment counselors from the district will continue to provide grief counseling to all who need it. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family at this most difficult time."
Grief counselors will also be at East Middle School and Kennedy Elementary School, where Djalo's siblings are students. The boy's father said the family is planning a funeral for him on Saturday.
In addition to the SUV's black box, police are investigating whether another car played an indirect role in the crash.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Ben Parker reports