NC - Legend Jenkins, 7, walking home with his 10 yo brother, hit by a car & killed, parents charged with invol manslaughter, Gastonia, 27 May 2025

[GuyfromCanada]

Parents Charged Following Fatal Crash That Killed 7-Year-Old in Gastonia

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 29, 2025

GASTONIA, N.C. – The Gastonia Police Department has filed criminal charges against the parents of a 7-year-old boy who died after being struck by a vehicle while attempting to cross the road on Tuesday evening. Parents Jessica Ivey and Samuele Jenkins, have been charged with Felony Involuntary Manslaughter, Felony Child Neglect, and Misdemeanor Child Neglect.

On Tuesday, May 27, 2025, at approximately 5:55 p.m., officers responded to a reported traffic collision in the 1000 block of West Hudson Boulevard. Upon arrival, police found that a 7-year-old juvenile male had been struck by a Jeep Cherokee being driven by a 76-year female driver traveling eastbound. The preliminary investigation revealed that the child was attempting to cross the street outside of a crosswalk with another juvenile male, aged 10, when he entered the roadway and was hit.

The child was initially transported to CaroMont Regional Medical Center with life-threatening injuries and was later transferred to Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte. Tragically, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead near 10:00 p.m.

While the Gastonia Police Department offers its deepest sympathies to the family for the heartbreaking loss of their child, the investigation revealed that the children involved were unsupervised at the time the boy stepped into traffic. In such cases, adults must be held accountable for their responsibilities to ensure a safe environment for their children.

At this time, there is no evidence of speeding or wrongdoing on the part of the driver, therefore no charges have been filed. The driver continues to be cooperative and the incident remains under active investigation by the Gastonia Police Department's Traffic Division. Anyone who witnessed the crash or may have relevant information is urged to contact Corporal Carpenter with the Gastonia Police Department at 704-866-6702.

https://www.facebook.com/GastoniaPoliceDepartment/posts/pfbid02mQkF6rr7Q6wToMhT9kwZbxAUcrWbS9qEJxZcxPLQhPrZzjWpAn2kJHJ4fEpnz6F7l

Jessica Ivey Jenkins, 30, and Sameule Jenkins, 31, were charged with felony involuntary manslaughter, felony child neglect and misdemeanor child neglect in the death of their son, Legend, according to Gastonia Police.

Parents face neglect, manslaughter charges after 7-year-old son hit and killed by car

The parents of a 7-year-old boy who was hit and killed while crossing a busy Gastonia street were arrested on Thursday in their child's death.

www.gastongazette.com

I have mixed feelings on this one. This is just sad.

 

[airportwoman]

There's got to be more to this story.

 

[IceIce9]

The parents were hit with a $1.5 million bond, the highest possible, and denied permission to attend their son's funeral.

“While the Gastonia Police Department offers its deepest sympathies to the family for the heartbreaking loss of their child, the investigation revealed that the children involved were unsupervised at the time the boy stepped into traffic,” the department said in a statement obtained by the New York Post. “In such cases, adults must be held accountable for their responsibilities to ensure a safe environment for their children.”

MSN

 

[tlorik]

I agree there must be more that we don't know - the bond seems very high and not letting them attend their son's funeral seems a little harsh. Maybe there was a running history of them not watching or keeping up with the kids?

 

[tlcya]

waiting for more info because what little we have is not adding up to these steep charges?

Okay, after googling the street this tragedy happened on, I get that the 7 year old child should not have been crossing that road, but accompanied by a 10 year old sibling - I don't know. Still doesn't feel as if that is enough to support the charges against them. Unless they are chronic documented neglectful parents with some sort of extensive CPS involvement I am not really understanding this one.

Street View · Google Maps

 

[IceIce9]

Definitely puzzling. It’s not like he was a toddler left unattended. He was accompanied by his ten year old brother.

And how sad for the brother

 

[airportwoman]

Unless they are chronic documented neglectful parents with some sort of extensive CPS involvement I am not really understanding this one.

Street View · Google Maps

I have a feeling that this is the case, and authorities can't comment further because there is a surviving child.

 

[browneyes]

Perhaps the parents weren’t home and the children unattended? There must be a reason for the charges and high bond. So sad for the surviving sibling.

 

[PromotedPawn]

I will withhold judgement and criticism of law enforcement, although my instinct is to call B.S. All too often we see bias due to race or social class impacting the way discretion is used in the justice system. If these children were actually just walking home from the store when tragedy struck, these charges don't make sense. The source says they were at the store with mom. Why was dad arrested? This needs to start making sense.
Edited to add: my opinion only

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Strange case against the parents.

No one where I live would think twice about a 10-year-old walking with their sibling in the neighborhood.

They are trying to make an example out of them, why?

They should at least let the parents attend the funeral. Even if they have a CPS history (which they might not). This just seems cruel.

 

[TristanP]

There's got to be more to this story.

Are the parents black?

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Are the parents black?

I believe their photo is in the article that's linked at the bottom of Post #1.

 

[tlorik]

Theoretically, race/religion/gender all that shouldn't be a factor in this. Unfortunately, we all know that is not always the case. Some missing children make headlines nationally and some we only know about from this site. Some murders stay in the news ad nauseum and some no one ever knows about. Some of that is down to media and what makes a "good" story and some, sadly, is because the victim is part of a marginalized community, so the case may not get much attention. I could be wrong - but we have all seen that certain groups of people can become prey for a serial killer or be ignored completely.

I feel like there's a lot more background here - not letting the parents attend a child's funeral is over the top in my opinion.

 

[LenaOdenthal]

IF the law is being interpreted such that parents should never, ever let children out of their sight, lest they come to harm, therefore all harm is preventable and someone is culpable - then one could as easily argue that it should be interpreted that drivers should never, ever drive in such a manner that they cannot avoid harming someone.

If the latter is impracticable, so is the former. Neither parents nor driver intended harm in this scenario. It's devastating all round.

 

[tlcya]

My understanding is the mother and her two boys, 7 and 10, were at a retail shop in a strip mall on that road. Their residence was nearby, across that road. The boys asked if they could walk home ahead of her while she continued to make her purchases. She said yes. She claims it was the first time she had allowed them to do that.

I don't know man. I am still confused by the seriousness of those charges so hoping there is more to the story that makes it make sense.

 

[LenaOdenthal]

My understanding is the mother and her two boys, 7 and 10, were at a retail shop in a strip mall on that road. Their residence was nearby, across that road. The boys asked if they could walk home ahead of her while she continued to make her purchases. She said yes. She claims it was the first time she had allowed them to do that.

I don't know man. I am still confused by the seriousness of those charges so hoping there is more to the story that makes it make sense.

Absolutely. Some mistakes, or bad judgement calls, meet the bar of criminal neglect, and some don't - are "just" tragic accidents. I suppose I'm just musing aloud whether the way the bar is applied to parenting and the way it is applied to driving, are comparable. Some places are more car culture, pedestrian-unfriendly and some places are more understanding of a certain degree of free-range parenting.

The detail of being prevented attending the funeral is horrifying to me.

 

[LittleSeaTree]

Parents Charged Following Fatal Crash That Killed 7-Year-Old in Gastonia

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 29, 2025

GASTONIA, N.C. – The Gastonia Police Department has filed criminal charges against the parents of a 7-year-old boy who died after being struck by a vehicle while attempting to cross the road on Tuesday evening. Parents Jessica Ivey and Samuele Jenkins, have been charged with Felony Involuntary Manslaughter, Felony Child Neglect, and Misdemeanor Child Neglect.

On Tuesday, May 27, 2025, at approximately 5:55 p.m., officers responded to a reported traffic collision in the 1000 block of West Hudson Boulevard. Upon arrival, police found that a 7-year-old juvenile male had been struck by a Jeep Cherokee being driven by a 76-year female driver traveling eastbound. The preliminary investigation revealed that the child was attempting to cross the street outside of a crosswalk with another juvenile male, aged 10, when he entered the roadway and was hit.

The child was initially transported to CaroMont Regional Medical Center with life-threatening injuries and was later transferred to Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte. Tragically, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead near 10:00 p.m.

While the Gastonia Police Department offers its deepest sympathies to the family for the heartbreaking loss of their child, the investigation revealed that the children involved were unsupervised at the time the boy stepped into traffic. In such cases, adults must be held accountable for their responsibilities to ensure a safe environment for their children.

At this time, there is no evidence of speeding or wrongdoing on the part of the driver, therefore no charges have been filed. The driver continues to be cooperative and the incident remains under active investigation by the Gastonia Police Department's Traffic Division. Anyone who witnessed the crash or may have relevant information is urged to contact Corporal Carpenter with the Gastonia Police Department at 704-866-6702.

https://www.facebook.com/GastoniaPoliceDepartment/posts/pfbid02mQkF6rr7Q6wToMhT9kwZbxAUcrWbS9qEJxZcxPLQhPrZzjWpAn2kJHJ4fEpnz6F7l

Jessica Ivey Jenkins, 30, and Sameule Jenkins, 31, were charged with felony involuntary manslaughter, felony child neglect and misdemeanor child neglect in the death of their son, Legend, according to Gastonia Police.

Parents face neglect, manslaughter charges after 7-year-old son hit and killed by car

The parents of a 7-year-old boy who was hit and killed while crossing a busy Gastonia street were arrested on Thursday in their child's death.

www.gastongazette.com

I have mixed feelings on this one. This is just sad.

What an odd picture with no context IMO

 

[DS2021]

I tend to be against charges being pressed in cases like this, unless there was extreme neglect.

These parents are already being punished enough with the loss of their son, and now the older brother doesn't have his parents for support

 

[DS2021]

W Hudson Blvd & E Hudson Blvd · Gastonia, North Carolina

maps.app.goo.gl

Appears to be the general area he was hit

Parents charged after child hit, killed in Gastonia

Investigators said the boy was crossing the road with another child when he was struck by a Jeep Cherokee. He was taken to a Charlotte hospital, where he died.

www.wcnc.com

The crash happened along West Hudson Boulevard near the intersection with South York Road a little before 6 pm. on May 27. Gastonia Police said the boy was trying to cross the road with another child when he was struck by a Jeep Cherokee being driven by a 76-year-old woman

 

[tlcya]

I have a feeling that this is the case, and authorities can't comment further because there is a surviving child.

I wonder if there is a larger situation involving this couple totally unrelated to their son's death and LE have used this child's death to get the couple charged and into custody to investigate some larger alleged criminal situation?

Like we've all seen it play out on other threads, someone is suspected of a serious crime and LE pick them up on a lesser crime and now that they are being held authorities can take their time building the bigger case?