An 18-month-old boy fatally struck by a car Sunday evening was laid to rest Monday afternoon.
Dozens of family members gathered in a Waterloo cemetery to say a final goodbye to Mohamed Abdulla.
A separate memorial stood at 39 Amos Avenue, where the toddler had been fatally struck by a car. It grew fast over the course of a few hours, with friends, neighbours and family members coming to leave flowers.
Abdulla and the driver of the car both live in the townhouse complex at 39 Amos.
Family members and police say Abdulla was playing with a large group of other kids around 7 p.m. Sunday night.
“At some particular point, the child wandered out into the parking lot and was struck by a motor vehicle that was leaving the lot,” Waterloo Regional Police Staff Sgt. Jim Strand said Monday.
The boy’s father, Mohybin Adullah, says he was playing soccer several minutes earlier, with his youngest son nearby.
He says Mohamed left with some of his siblings to play elsewhere in the area, and moments later he heard a loud scream from that part of the property.
“My wife was holding him, and I took him immediately and we called 911,” he said.
The 18-month-old was then taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A 49-year-old Waterloo man was taken into custody and charged with criminal negligence causing death.
He was released from custody on a promise to appear in court in August.
Speed is being considered a possible factor in the collision, Strand said. Neighbours say it’s not unusual for large groups of kids to be playing around the parking lot.
Relatives from around Waterloo Region and as far as Toronto gathered at 39 Amos on Monday to offer their support to the Abdulla family.
Abdulla’s sister Ramla described Mohamed – the youngest of 12 siblings – as a boy who barely ever cried, preferring to “dance and yell” and have fun with his family.
With reporting by Victoria Levy
