Mom of boy hit, killed by car while running from fight says kids involved got probation

CHARLOTTE — The mother of a boy who was hit and killed by a car while running away from a fight says the two kids involved in her son’s death received probation.

>> Editor’s note: It’s important we share we received the information about this case from this mother, and because it involves juveniles, it’s not something the court system can make public.

A driver hit 11-year-old Romello Wilcox in December of 2019 outside McClintock Middle School in southeast Charlotte. Investigators said Wilcox was trying to run away from a fight with two other kids when he stepped into the road and was hit.

“Every parent tells their kid to walk away and my kid lost his life for walking away,” Romello Wilcox’s mother, Briea Curry, said.

Curry said her son would now be 13 years old, and she’s still trying to make sense of his death.

“It’s a pain that will never go away,” she said. “Very simple things make me miss my son. His clothes, everything is still in his room like he’s still coming home.”

The 11- and 12-year-old involved were charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with Romello’s death. Curry told Channel 9 that the kids were both found guilty but, beyond two weeks of detention, they received a sentence of 12 months probation, as this was their first trouble with the law.

“Not asking for them to be tried as adults, not asking for them to have life in prison. I’m asking for what was fair,” Curry said. “Who’s to say that these kids won’t do this again?”

As she mourns every passing birthday and milestone her son will never hit, Curry is now pushing for the law that governs this type of sentencing to change.

“These children get to sit at home with their parents. They get to celebrate holidays, birthdays, Christmas -- everything. So where’s the punishment?” Curry said.

She’s also calling on the community and the school district to pay attention to patterns of bullying and fighting and how serious of a turn it can take.

'My sweet boy': Parents of 11-year-old hit, killed by car sit down with Channel 9 'My sweet boy': Parents of 11-year-old hit, killed by car sit down with Channel 9

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