MILWAUKEE — Family members were devastated after a Father's Day get-together turned into tragedy when a driver fatally hit a 4-year-old boy.
A report from the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office identified the child as Marquell Roby-Holmes.
New surveillance video showed the frantic response, moments after Marquell was struck and killed by a pick-up truck at McGovern Park on Sunday.
"He loved hard. He loves his family," Shatina Joseph said.
Pictures of Marquell, who also went by Quel Quel, show the sweet loving smile that his family adores. Joseph says her nephew loved to ride his bike and touched so many of their lives.
"He's always with his twin brother, his other half. It's never going to be the same," Joseph stated.
Roby-Holmes' family was just getting to the park for a Father's Day celebration.
Relatives say several people were unloading their cars when another driver hit Roby-Holmes.
Joseph says the driver was apologetic after realizing what happened.
"That was just tragic. That's going to be a picture that our family will never get out of their heads. I didn't see it personally, but there were over 20+ children over 20+ adults and they all experienced that same trauma," Joseph said.
Now overwhelmed with grief Roby-Holmes' family members are leaning on their faith.
"Love on your children as much as you can," Joseph said.
On Monday night, friends and family came together for a vigil to remember Marquell.
"He was always the life of the party. He cheered everybody up in every room he walked into," said his uncle Michael Roby.
Michael said it was the first time the family had gotten together in a while when the tragedy happened. People came together to grieve and show support around a tree adorned with messages of love and sympathy along with toys that Marquell loved.
"He just had bright eyes and a big smile all the time, whether it was a good day or a bad day," said Roby.
As Michael and others tried to process what happened, he shared a message from parents and adults.
"Get a hold of your children this summer," said Roby. "Keep them close to you, as close as you can. If you're a dad, just pull up to see your child. It might be the last time you see them. If you’re a mother, keep close to your child; it might be the last time you see them."
A GoFundMe has been set up by Michael to help support the family with burial expenses.
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