Boy, 7, struck and killed by teen driver in rural Twin Cities town; police seek teen's phone data

GREENFIELD, Minn. — A 7-year-old boy is dead after he was hit by a 17-year-old motorist while riding his bike Friday evening in a rural Twin Cities community.

The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office says it happened in Greenfield, about 40 minutes northwest of Minneapolis.

The collision occurred on Greenfield Road near Ingram Street at about 8 p.m. The sheriff's office says the young boy died at the scene despite the lifesaving efforts of bystanders and first responders.

According to a search warrant filed by police on Monday to obtain the driver's phone records, the teenager told officers he called his father before calling 911 after the crash. First responders arrived at the scene about eight minutes later.

Police say the father, who's a nurse, was among the "adult males providing lifesaving measures" to the victim when officers arrived, according to the warrant.

The driver told investigators he was texting while sitting in his mother's Honda Accord in the family's driveway about a third of a mile north of the crash scene, and was on his phone "immediately after leaving his house on Ingram Street in the vehicle," the warrant states. 

The teen said he was off his phone when he turned onto Greenfield Road and struck the boy. The sheriff's office says crime scene investigators were called to the scene, but it's unclear if the driver is expected to face any charges, or if police have been granted the warrant to determine his phone usage leading up to the crash.

"This is a tragedy and we are holding family and friends in our thoughts and prayers," said a sheriff's office spokesperson.

The sheriff's office says the Minnesota State Patrol is assisting with the investigation. WCCO-TV does not typically identify individuals unless they are charged as adults with crimes.