'A hard thing to see:' Man says hit-and-run driver who struck kids sped past him at red light



MILWAUKEE -- Three children simply walking home Thursday evening, Oct. 24 were struck by a hit-and-run driver near 22nd Street and Center Street. By Friday afternoon, Milwaukee police announced persons of interest were in custody, and a vehicle was recovered in connection with this investigation. FOX6 News spoke with a family, including children, who witnessed the whole thing.

Police said a 6-year-old girl died as a result of the crash. The medical examiner on Friday night officially identified the 6-year-old as Alisa Gee. Family previously identified her as Lisa Gee. The medical examiner's report said she suffered blunt force injuries and died at the scene. Family identified the 4-year-old as Mia, Lisa's sister, and the 10-year-old as Drevyze Rayford, Lisa and Mia's cousin. They suffered life-threatening injuries.

A 20-year-old Milwaukee man who takes Center Street home said he saw the hit-and-run driver in his rearview mirror.

“I was thinking he would have stopped, but he didn’t," the man said. "It's just replaying, replaying how the kids got struck and how one of the kids went flying in the air. It was just a hard thing to see."

It was around 5:30 p.m. Thursday. Milwaukee police said a driver ran a red light -- striking the children as they legally crossed the street. The 20-year-old man was second in line at that red light and said the hit-and-run driver sped past him.

“I got outta my car a couple times to look and see if it was real what was happening, and it was real," he said. "There were three kids laying on the ground."

The children were part of a group walking home from a playground nearby.

"The kid was 6 years old," the witness said. "It just hurts my heart to see a baby die like that."



As first responders arrived, the 20-year-old witness turned to prayer with his younger siblings.

“I felt helpless and that’s a hard thing to feel when you have babies laying on the ground, laying there, not moving at all," he said. "It’s a horrible thing."

The man's 9-year-old sister said after this tragedy, she understands the consequences of reckless driving.

"It can hurt many people, and I don’t like seeing people hurt because it hurts my feelings, too," she said.



"Kids shouldn’t see anything like that," the man said. "Nobody should see anybody die, and especially at their age.”

On Friday afternoon, Milwaukee police announced an anonymous donor came forward with $1,000 for information leading to an arrest.

Meanwhile, members of the Milwaukee Common Council sent a letter to Governor Tony Evers, asking for state resources to help combat reckless driving, with a Saturday morning news conference scheduled to "outline multiple steps being pursued to combat reckless driving across the city" in the wake of this tragic hit-and-run.