Police: Officer Who Hit Girl During Chase Had No Sirens Or Police Lights On
ST. LOUIS (CBS Local) -- A 12-year-old Missouri girl who was struck by a police SUV in a high-speed pursuit with no sirens or police lights on is not expected to survive, according to her family members.
Akeelah "Kee Kee" Jackson was crossing the street after going to a store near her St. Louis home Monday at about 5:50 p.m. when she was struck, police said.
Jackson looked up at the squad car but had no time to react, according to a 16-year-old witness.
"The car hit her and she flew in the air and came back down," the witness told CBS affiliate KMOV.
Jackson underwent surgery, but doctors at St. Louis Children's Hospital have told her family that there's nothing else they can do to help their critically injured daughter, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
Her father is asking for prayers in hopes his daughter can pull through.
"She's an angel," Akeelah's father, Willie Jackson, told KTVI. "She's also a fighter."
The St. Louis County Police Department says a 25-year-old male officer was heading south on Halls Ferry when he tried to make contact with a suspicious person and vehicle at a gas station.
The officer pursued the vehicle at 59 miles per hour, which is 29 miles per hour over the posted speed limit, without activating his lights and sirens, according to investigators.
After hitting Jackson, the officer stopped, reported the incident and is cooperating with investigators, police said.
