Dallas middle school student Jonathan Ayala was walking in the grass when a car veered off the road and hit him, police said
A 14-year-old Texas boy was struck and killed while walking to school — and now the passenger of the car that hit him is charged with murder.
Just before 8 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 6, Jonathan Ayala was walking to school in the East Oak Cliff section of Dallas when a car veered off the road and hit him, Dallas Police said in a statement.
Jonathan was walking in the grass near the intersection of Marsalis Avenue and Ledbetter Drive when he was struck, police said.
Elias Ayala/GoFundMe
Upon further investigation, police said they learned that passenger James Grant, 47, allegedly got into an argument with the driver as they drove south on Marsalis Avenue.
“Grant started struggling with the driver and assaulted them,” the statement said.
Dallas County Jail
As the car headed east onto Ledbetter, “Grant reached across the driver causing the car to go off the road and hit the teen, walking in the grass,” police alleged in the statement.
Grant allegedly stole property from the driver and ran from the scene, the statement alleges.
The driver called 911, stopped and remained at the scene. Jonathan was rushed to a local hospital where he died.
Later that day, officers located Grant, who was arrested on a charge of felony murder, “as he was in the act of committing a felony offense which caused the death of the teen,” police alleged in the statement.
He was also arrested for allegedly violating parole, according to online jail records.
The investigation is ongoing.
Grant remains held at the Dallas County North Tower Jail on a $750,000 bond, online jail records show.
It is unclear whether he has retained an attorney who can comment on his behalf.
As Grant awaits his next court date, Jonathan’s family is mourning the loss of the boy described as a “bright, kind-hearted soul,” according to Elias Ayala, who started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for his younger brother’s funeral.
Jonathan’s “infectious laughter and boundless enthusiasm brought joy to everyone he met,” Elias wrote. “His absence has left an irreplaceable void in our lives, and we are struggling to cope with the immense grief of losing such a precious part of our family.”
Jonathan was a student at Boude Storey Middle School, the Dallas Independent School District confirmed, CBS News reports.
The school is located several blocks down the street from where Jonathan was struck.
