Van seized in connection to fatal hit-and-run of tot
Arrest made after three-year-old struck downtown Monday night
Windsor police on Tuesday arrested a man and seized a van believed to be connected to the fatal hitand-run of a little boy a day earlier.
Officers examined the van outside a home near the intersection of Tecumseh Road West and Crawford Avenue and then had it hauled away on a flatbed truck just before 7 p.m. Neighbours said a man who lived there had been arrested.
The van matched the description of the one police were seeking after a three-year-old boy was struck Monday night in downtown Windsor and later died in hospital.
Police would not confirm the name of the victim, but the wife of the little boy’s cousin said he is Kevin Ehsay. She said his parents live near the scene but she didn’t want to say more.
Al-Mousawi, who declined to give his first name, works next to the house in the 900 block of Tecumseh Boulevard West where the man was arrested. Police met with the man in the house and examined the bottom of the van, he said.
The vehicle seized by police was a dark green, full-sized GMC van.
A neighbour, who declined to give her name, watched the situation unfold on her porch. She said police arrived Tuesday morning before she went to work.
Windsor Police spokesman Sgt. Steve Betteridge said earlier Tuesday that police were searching for the driver of an older model, fullsize, dark green van that witnesses said hit the youngster around 8:40 p.m. Monday on Wyandotte Street West at Bruce Avenue.
Police released photos of the van, which was driving eastbound when it struck the boy. It was described as having a beige stripe and a distinctive ladder on the back.
“A picture’s worth a thousand words so I’m hoping that everyone takes the time in a case this serious to take a look at those pictures,” Betteridge said.
“It is a very unique-looking van and that always assists, rather than looking for, you know, a run-ofthe-mill-type vehicle that is very standard. This vehicle does have some very unique characteristics about it.”
Betteridge wouldn’t confirm if the child ran out into the street in front of the van, as some witnesses at the scene told reporters.
“When we’re getting down to exact details — did the child walk out, run out — it’s all still part of the investigation,” he said. “It’s no doubt that the child made it into the intersection (and) was struck by an eastbound van.”
The boy was initially listed in serious condition, but police issued a statement Tuesday morning saying he had succumbed to his injuries.
The 400 block of Wyandotte Street West was closed for several hours while police investigated Monday night.
An employee at Rose Convenience, near where the boy was struck, said Tuesday that police questioned him but he didn’t witness anything. He said police are to return Wednesday to view video taken by the store’s surveillance cameras. Other businesses in the area were closed at the time of the fatal hit-and-run. Anyone with information is asked to call Windsor police investigators at 519-2556700, ext. 4111 or ext. 4830, or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 519-258-8477 (TIPS) or www.catchcrooks.com.