Autistic Boy, 4, Killed On The Way Home From Older Brother’s Funeral

A 4-year-old New York City boy tragically lost his life after being struck by a car in Queens after attending his older brother’s funeral last weekend. 

The family was already reeling after losing 18-year-old Tysheem McDonald to gun violence earlier this month. Michael McDonald, the father of both boys, says he is now “empty” after also losing his younger son.

Domantea McDonald, who was autistic, was outside his uncle’s home last Saturday when he got free from his mom and ran into the street. McDonald’s mother tried to chase after him, but he was hit by a Toyota RAV4.

The little boy’s mother also came into contact with the vehicle, which struck her in the foot. The driver of the RAV4 remained at the scene of the accident and has not been charged. 

McDonald was lying on the ground, still conscious and screaming for his mother after the accident. The child’s father tried to hold him still until EMS arrived. According to the boy’s father, once fire rescue arrived, they asked everyone to back away from McDonald.

“The guy turned him to the side to check if he had any bruises, and Domantea saw his mother and wanted to go to her,” Michael McDonald explained to the New York Post. 

McDonald started to crawl toward his mother and died on the road after making it only a few feet. 

Police said McDonald had “severe head trauma and internal injuries” from the accident. Investigators said he was pronounced dead at Long Island Jewish Medical Center. 

FDNY didn’t comment on the father’s claims but acknowledged that “life-saving operations began as we transported the patient to the hospital.” 

“Domantea had special needs,” his father said. “He was the most wonderful soul in the world, the most wonderful boy anybody could want to meet.”