Greeley — The 9-year-old girl killed by a hit-and-run driver shortly before 4 p.m. Monday in Greeley has been identified by investigators as Jasmine Hernandez.
She and her 9-year-old cousin, Ibeth Rodriguez, were playing on a bicycle and a scooter-style skateboard when a 15-year-old boy reversed the Red Dodge pickup he was driving and hit the girls on 25th Street Road in southeast Greeley, said Sgt. Joe Tymkowych.
“The driver was backing up either at a high speed or in an abrupt manner” when the girls were hit, Tymkowych said. “The witnesses said they saw the driver showing off, doing exhibition types of things up and down the street.”
One child — believed to be Hernandez — was pulled under the vehicle along with a small bicycle while the other child was knocked to the side, he added.
Ibeth was flown to Children’s Hospital in Denver. Her uncle said she may need brain surgery.
Both girls were in the fourth grade.
At the time of the incident, two people were in the pickup, Tymkowych said.
The pickup was backing east on 25th Street Road when the two girls were hit. It then backed up to a driveway of a house, turned its wheels and drove down 25th Street Road, going east before turning north on Arbor Avenue. The bicycle finally dislodged on Arbor and was found by a resident, the sergeant said.
A witness wrote down the license plate of the fleeing truck, and within minutes, police had run the plate and responded to the home of the driver, about six blocks from the scene, Tymkowych said.
“The vehicle matching the description was in the garage of the home,” he said. “We made contact at the residence with the father, who is the owner of the pickup.”
His son also was present.
Tymkowych said the juvenile was arrested, and the Weld County district attorney’s office is currently reviewing the case to determine whether the boy should be charged as an adult.
The police spokesman said that a number of people were at the scene when the girls were hit.
“We have several people who saw most of what happened,” Tymkowych said.
Staff writer Howard Pankratz can be reached at 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com.
