Crossing guards were out earlier than normal Thursday morning after a 4-year-old girl was killed in a hit-and-run as she walked to her DeKalb County school.
District officials said the change, which put the guards near Indian Creek Elementary School at 6:30 a.m., will remain in effect until the end of the school year.
Crossing guards previously started at 7 a.m., district spokesman Andre Riley said.
The deadly hit-and-run occurred just before 7 a.m. Wednesday in the 700 block of North Indian Creek Drive, police Lt. Lonzy Robertson said.
That is near Indian Creek Elementary, where the girl, identified as Lun Thang, was a pre-kindergartner who loved to sing.
Thang, her brother and another relative were in a crosswalk when a dark, older model vehicle, possibly a Toyota or a Honda, hit the child, DeKalb police spokeswoman Shiera Campbell said.
“She went airborne and hit (a PT Cruiser), Campbell said.
Thang later died. There were no other injuries in the incident.
The sedan that caused the crash “lost control and stopped momentarily but then left the scene,” Campbell said.
Police asked car repair shops and others to be on the lookout for a sedan with front-end damage.
“We really want to impress upon this driver to come forward,” Campbell said.
“If you see something that you’ve done wrong, stop. Help. It could have been an accident. But leaving the scene, it makes it worse.”
The DeKalb County School District made a similar plea.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family, friends (and) school community, and we will assist in providing grief counseling and support,” Riley said. “We urge anyone with information about this event to contact the DeKalb County police, to ensure justice is served.”
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