UPDATE @ 4:11 p.m. (May 14): Genae L. Taste, 6, died of multiple blunt force injuries and her death was an accident, the Montgomery County Coroner's Office concludes.
UPDATE @ 3:07 p.m. (May 14):
Dayton Public Schools said counselors were available for classmates of Genae L. Taste, who was hit and killed by an SUV Friday night.
“Genae's little classmates have not quite grasped what has happened, but we have assistance to give them any emotional support they might need now, or in the near future,” district officials said in a prepared statement.
“Our Edison building family is deeply saddened by this tragedy and we offer condolences, prayers and support for Genae's family.”
Taste was a kindergartner at Edison PreK-6.
UPDATE (May 12):
Friends and family came together Saturday to remember a young girl whose bright life was cut short after she was struck and killed by an SUV Friday evening in the 500 block of Ingram Street.
Genae L. Taste was described as a bright young girl who was always dancing, had a beautiful laugh and was smart for her age.
Her uncle said he will miss her coming over to his home all the time.
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“And now I can’t get that now I can’t see her again. Next time I see her she’s going to be in a casket,” Deter Tattooing said.
A makeshift memorial with stuffed animals and a balloon launch were part of the vigil in Taste’s memory.
INITIAL REPORT (May 11)
A 6-year-old girl struck and killed by an SUV Friday evening on Ingram Street in Dayton was identified Saturday morning as Genae L. Taste by the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office.
- Taste was pronounced dead at Dayton Children's Hospital
- Police said she was in the street when she was hit
- Police questioned the driver, a 24-year-old unnamed woman
Two 911 callers described a horrific scene this evening after a young girl was fatally struck just after 6:30 p.m. on Ingram Street near McCabe Avenue.
A nurse was on scene, performing CPR, callers said, while they waited for crews to arrive.
Police said the girl was in the street when the navy blue Chevrolet struck her. Witnesses said she had been playing in a yard just before the accident.
“She literally ran over her with all four wheels,” one caller told emergency dispatchers.
Another woman pleaded with crews to hurry, saying the girl was “bleeding from her head.” When asked whether the girl was breathing or conscious, the woman sobbed: “no, no, no, no, no.”
Witnesses weren’t the only ones having trouble comprehending Taste’s tragic death.
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“It’s emotionally taxing, our officers were the first ones on scene, they provided CPR to the young child, several of them have children of the same age,” Dayton police Lt. Steven Bauer said.
Police towed the SUV involved in the crash.
Although the 911 callers said the driver ran from the scene, police said they questioned the 24-year-old woman. She was not identified, but police said it’s “absolutely possible” that criminal charges would be pursued.
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