Asking Tough Questions
On July 17 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, 11-year-old Lakeisha White was struck and killed by an unmarked patrol car driven by Sheriff’s Detective Ron Killings. Local police said it appears that Lakeisha darted out in front of Killings, but on August 3 Daily News Journal columnist Jimmy Hart raised questions about the investigation.
… a DNJ reporter spoke to at least two witnesses who, on the record, gave varying accounts of a bottle being disposed of by Killings.
Other media reported similar accounts. Police, however, have said they found no such evidence.
We now stand more than two weeks removed from the July 17 incident, and Lakeisha's aunt, Kim Coleman, told The DNJ this week that she still hasn't been contacted by police.
On August 6 Mark Bell of The Daily News Journal picked up the story.
Suspicion now surrounds the investigation into the death of 11-year-old Lakeisha White following the Murfreesboro police chief’s admission Tuesday that investigators "erred" by not immediately collecting a bottle of alcohol found at the scene.
Police said Tuesday that bottle belonged to Rutherford County Sheriff’s Detective Sgt. Ron Killings, the driver of the unmarked patrol car that struck and killed the Hopkinsville, Ky., girl on Bradyville Pike around 8:45 p.m. on July 17.
The Daily News Journal's editors have continued to question the handling of the case, and the Rutherford County District Attorney has requested that the Tennessee Highway Patrol take over the investigation.
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