A sixth-grader at Tangerine Farms K-8 was struck and killed by a vehicle as he rode a bicycle in a Marana neighborhood Thursday morning.
The crash happened just before 8 a.m. in Marana's Gladden Farms neighborhood, near West Tangerine Road west of Interstate 10, police say. A 2008 Ford Expedition was traveling north on North Midfield Road when it struck the 11-year-old boy who was riding east from West Hancock Drive in an unmarked crosswalk, Marana police said.
The driver stayed at the crash scene and is not believed to have been impaired. The boy has not been publicly identified.
“It is with profound sadness that we share that one of our sixth-grade students died this morning after being struck by a car while riding his bicycle in a neighborhood near Hancock and Midfield Roads. Our hearts are with his family, friends, and everyone in our community grieving this devastating and unexpected loss,” the district said to Tangerine Farms families in an email. “We will continue to wrap our school community in care and support as we navigate this loss together.”
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The district’s crisis support team was on the school campus Thursday and is set to be there again Friday, said Allison Benjamin, Marana Unified School District’s director of public relations.
A memorial commemoration will be held at the trailside entrance of Gladden Farms Friday at 6:30 p.m., according to a flyer circulating on social media. The community is encouraged to bring candles, but the balloon release has been canceled, one Facebook commenter wrote.
No arrests have been made, and the investigation continues.
