Another non victim

Carolyn Hileman - The Voice* | June 7, 2008

Boy Killed in Hit & Run; Driver Held Without Bond
MEMPHIS, TN - Tate County officials say a man was drunk when he hit a small boy with his SUV and drove away.

Jaime Perez, 35, is charged with DUI, leaving the scene of an accident and driving without a license. Investigators also believe Perez is an illegal immigrant. He is accused of hitting 5 year-old Frank Brooks on County Line Road in Tate County.

The boy’s parents talked only to Eyewitness News Everywhere about the accident they say happened just a few feet away from the family’s home.

“He was a happy, smiling kid. They would call him ‘Frankie Blue Eyes,’” said Frank’s mother, Frankie.

“My brother and I… we had our sons a day apart. It’s really hard. I loved him like my own,” said Frank’s uncle, Mike Brooks.

Family members say Frank was an angel, who was loving and full of energy. He was killed on Saturday, May 24, 2008, right in front of his brother and sister. The day before he was hit, the family says it rained and Frank wanted to play in the mud with his brother and sister. Family members say Frank walked to the side of the road to pick up his sister’s shoe, and that is when he was hit.

“He had blood coming out of his ears, his eyes were still open,” said Frankie. “He didn’t have time to blink or hurt. It was over that fast.”

Eyewitnesses say after Frank was hit, the driver went racing down the street in his Ford Excursion. Police say he lost control of the SUV and veered off the road.

“Someone had said there were beer bottles in his vehicle. He didn’t say a word to anyone,” said Frankie. Frankie said her son was not breathing and died in her arms on the side of the road.

While federal immigration officials try to decide if Perez will be deported, Frank’s family is left to deal with the grief.

“We’ll never have another birthday for him or holiday,” said uncle Mike. “It’s tough knowing he’s missing out on all these things. I loved him very much. I’ll always love him every day that goes by.”

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