HOUSTON – A child was killed Wednesday night after he was hit by a car in west Houston.
Houston police officers said that Desmond Thomas, 11, who had autism, was with his parents at a nearby home, and he left the house by himself as his dad folded laundry about 7:30 p.m.
"He was very impulsive and would jet as soon as he got a thought in his head," said Tina Thomas, Desmond's mother. "We never knew what he was thinking."
The boy then ran into the Katy Freeway outbound feeder road near Wilcrest, where he was struck by a Lincoln Navigator.
"I heard sirens on the feeder," Thomas said. "I knew it was Desmond."
Boy hit, killed on feeder road
Desmond was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died. He was a student at Westwood Elementary School.
The driver will not face charges, police said.
A fund has been set up to help the family deal with expenses related to Desmond's death. Anyone wishing to donate may do so at any Amegy Bank and reference the Desmond Thomas Memorial Fund.