NEW YORK – A Long Island school and community are mourning the loss of an eighth grade student who was fatally shot by a hit and escaped motorist as he and his sister were driving home.
Police said 13-year-old Tyler Phillips was walking with his sister on a bike path towards Route 112 in Coram when they were shot at around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Tyler was able to quickly push his sister to save her, but he died from his injuries on Thursday morning.
“The car hit it first and I guess it jumped out and grabbed it and took it away,” family friend Steffani Campbell told NBC 4 New York. She “she said she saw him flying in the middle of the road and she called an ambulance. They told him to just give him CPR. “
The William Paca High School student in Mastic Beach had just celebrated his birthday on Tuesday. Now his family is planning his funeral.
“They tried to revive him in an ambulance. He was taken to Stony Brook Hospital, but his vertebrae and skull were separated. He had no brain function, he was gone, “his mother, Desira Mack, told NBC.
His sister, Krystal, also 13, was injured but is recovering.
“He saved my life,” he said. Her mother said “he was a hero, he will always be a hero”.
The brothers had been to a playground in Gordon Heights, the closest to the shelter where they lived for a year.
“Most families don’t have transportation, so they walk to the nearest place to have fun,” said Pastor Cynthia McCants. “That little park is the closest place to go.”
Krystal said the SUV that hit them didn’t have its lights on, even though it was already dark outside. You said the vehicle was gray, maybe a Jeep. Police are looking for the vehicle as her family begs the driver to turn himself in.
“We expect the affected vehicle to have damage to the front passenger side and / or side. We are currently scouring the area for witnesses and video, “said Deputy Inspector David Doherty.
The school district offers bereavement counseling. Anyone with information on the incident is encouraged to contact the police.
