The driver who fatally struck 4-year-old Daniel Small five years ago remains on the run, and District police are seeking information to help find the child’s killer. On April 27, 2006, shortly after 8 p.m., Daniel was walking home from the Boys and Girls Club with his 8-year-old sister and 15-year-old brother when he stepped into the crosswalk at Valley Avenue and Ninth Street. At the same time, a sedan was speeding down the street.
Daniel’s brother tried to pull Daniel out of the way but it was too late. The car struck Daniel and dragged the child about 70 feet down the street.
The driver stopped momentarily but then sped away, leaving Daniel’s broken body with his brother and sister.
Daniel, who lived with his mother and two siblings in the 900 block of Wahler Place SE, was taken to Children’s Hospital, where he died about an hour later, police said.
The hit-and-run vehicle was described as a brown four-door sedan, possibly a Saturn or a Ford Taurus. Witnesses were not able to obtain a license plate number.
This case is under investigation by members of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Major Crash Investigations Unit. District police rely on the cooperation of the community to help solve crimes, and they are hoping that someone with information will come forward.
Without the public’s help, those wanted for violent crimes will continue to walk the streets and possibly harm additional people, police said.
The department is offering a reward of up to $5,000 to anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible in this case. Anyone with information about this case is asked to call police at 202-727-9099.
