Police: Girl, 13, Hit By Drug Suspect's Van, Dies
FLINT (AP) - A 13-year-old girl was walking to church when she was hit by a van being driven by a Flint man fleeing police, and she later died at a hospital, her mother and local authorities said.
Narcotics officers on Wednesday spotted the van of the 28-year-old man, who was wanted on a warrant related to heroin distribution, The Flint Journal reported. Michigan State Police said that when a trooper tried to stop the van, the man drove away.
The van crossed into opposing traffic and struck Misty Kurmas as she crossed a street in Flint. She died Wednesday night at a hospital. Her mother, Martha Walker, told the newspaper that her daughter was walking to church when she was hit.
"That's the sad part. She was going to see God," Walker said.
Police said the man, identified by authorities as Mark Angelo Blount, abandoned the van and was caught while trying to flee on foot. He was being held at the Genesee County Jail.
Blount was indicted by a federal grand jury this month on charges he and two other men conspired to distribute heroin. He was previously convicted of retail fraud and disarming a firearm from a peace officer.
Misty was a seventh grader at Flint's Classical Academy, district spokesman Bob Campbell said. Her family was seeking donations to pay for a funeral.
Flint Mayor Dayne Walling called her death "devastating" and leaves the community to "mourn and seek justice because of the lawlessness of this individual."
"This loss of life is a devastating outcome from the decisions of someone who did not respect the law," Walling said. "Instead of pulling over and taking responsibility for his actions, this criminal took an innocent life."
Michael Ewing, a lawyer for Blount, said he didn't yet have enough information on the case to comment Thursday evening.
Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
