'Tragic accident': Community mourns 6-year-old girl fatally struck by vehicle in driveway

A southern Mississippi community is mourning the loss of a 6-year-old girl who was hit by a vehicle and killed in her own driveway Sunday afternoon.

The incident happened just before 2:30 p.m. in Smith County, about 60 miles southeast of Jackson, Smith County Sheriff Joel Houston wrote in a Facebook post

Calling it a “tragic accident,” Houston said someone called Smith County deputies about a 6-year-old child hit by a vehicle in her driveway. 

The girl had already died when first responders and deputies arrived, he wrote.

Houston said the sheriff’s office won’t release additional details out of respect for the girl’s family but an investigation is underway.

“We extend our deepest gratitude to the dedicated first responders, Emergency Management, and Paramedics for their swift and compassionate response to the scene,” he wrote. 

“We urge everyone to hold the family and friends of this precious little girl in their prayers during this profoundly difficult time.”

When asked, a spokesperson for the sheriff's office did not say whether the person who hit the girl would face charges. The office said everyone involved is part of the family and the girl was out in the family's yard when the incident happened.