Boy dies after being hit by unmarked cop car

TROY - A 5-year-old by died Tuesday after being hit by an unmarked police car that afternoon.

Investigators are working on exactly what happened at the corner of 4th and Polk streets. Residents said it's a tragic accident on a busy street filled with children

Friends and family are grieving for Khayzier Pugh. One person had to get medical attention after the news of his death.

Neighbors saw Khayzier playing all the time.

"All the kids, they play. We all keep an eye on each others' kids. So we know each other. The kids play together. It's just hurtful to hear it," said neighbor Serita Malloy.

Authorities said he was hit at 3:45 p.m. by an unmarked car driven by Detective John Wright, a 25-year veteran of the Troy Police Department.

"There are some early indicators right now that it looks like the child may have darted in the roadway. One of our chiefs has said that. But the case is not closed. We're looking at all the evidence," said Detective Sgt. David Dean.

Police say Wright was not driving in emergency mode.

"This officer is suffering greatly. We're talking about a good cop here," Dean said.

On a hot summer afternoon, families and children were out and about. The road is a popular stretch for neighborhood children, because the South Troy city pool is just around the corner.

"Actually I was somewhere else and I saw it on the news and I said, 'That's my block.' And he was at the pool with my daughter. And I thought, 'Oh my goodness, that could have been him!'" said Evatt Henderson, another neighbor.

The neighborhood has a lot of children and residents say 4th Street is a busy road with speeding cars. They worry about their safety, because they say drivers just don't stop at the intersection a block from the accident scene.

"People do not recognize that light. They go right through it. All the time, we see it every day," said neighbor Yvonne Bland.