Mum 'helpless' after son killed in hit-and-run
The mother of a 12-year-old boy who was killed in a hit-and-run crash in Coventry has said she feels “helpless” and wants the person responsible found.
Louise Slater was speaking at a news conference in Birmingham, five days after her son Keaton died when he was struck by a black BMW on 14 June.
West Midlands Police said they believed Dolars Aleksanders, 21, was the driver of the car.
The force urged him to “do the right thing” and hand himself in.
A 21-year-old man, one of three passengers of the car, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving on Tuesday and has since been released on bail.
Another person had been arrested and was in custody on suspicion of assisting an offender, officers confirmed.
Police said there were four people in the car, with one person who had been interviewed as a witness and another voluntarily interviewed.
The car was driving "well above" the speed limit when it struck Keaton, they added.
Ms Slater, who sat alongside Keaton's father Clint, and his two older brothers, Keanu, 17, and Kai, 13, described her son as a “fun loving joker”.
In a tearful and emotional statement, she urged anyone who knew of Mr Aleksanders’ whereabouts to contact the authorities.
“The whole family, his school friends are all heartbroken," she said.
“Our little fun loving joker has made everyone laugh all the time, who did this to Keaton has taken everything away from us all and we’ve lost our baby boy.
Ms Slater, who was visibly shaking as she spoke, told the press conference she had initially declined to speak as it would never bring her son back, but "hearing that whoever did this will not hand themselves in, has left us all feeling helpless."
"We need to get justice for our Keaton," she said. "We just want everyone to find who took our son, Keanu and Kai's little brother, away from us.
“Please if anyone knows anything, or where they are, please come forward so we can have justice for our family.”
Police said they believed Mr Aleksanders, who was born in Latvia but was a UK resident, was living in the Coventry area at the time of the crash.
Ports and airports have been alerted and the West Midlands force said it was liaising with other international agencies.
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