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Driver Hits, Kills Young Boy, Posts Photo Of Boy’s Lifeless Body On Social Media, Sparks Outrage [Video]

By Meaghan Ellis
Published on: 06:40 PST, Oct 21, 2015

A disturbing image of a Jacksonville, Florida, teen’s lifeless body recently went viral on social media. According to WSB-TV, Trevius Williams was fatally struck by a vehicle while crossing a street. Over the weekend, Williams reportedly left home to pick up a loaf of bread from a nearby convenience store. The bread was for his mother, Connie Cole, who was still at home recovering from a recent hip replacement surgery. However, the quick trip to the store took a turn for the worse when he began walking back home.

As he crossed the street in front of the convenience store, he was fatally struck by a vehicle. While lying in a pool of blood after being hit, someone posted a photo of the 16-year-old’s dead body to Twitter. Almost immediately after the photo was posted, it went viral.

The horrific photo captured the attention of thousands of Twitter users, but social media users aren’t the only people who noticed the photo. Apparently, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office also saw the photo first-hand, according to Action News Jax. JSO Public Information Officer Melissa Bujeda released a statement about the fatal accident, stating that they were able to identify the person who posted the photo was the driver of the vehicle that struck Williams. According to Online Athens, the driver of the Hyundi Accent that struck Williams is 19-year-old Keenan Mikel Slaughter.

“The person tweeting was indeed the driver… The generation of social media has come to the point where people are tweeting every little thing.”

According to the investigative report, the law enforcement agency revealed that the driver posted several tweets about the accident almost immediately after it occurred.

“I just killed a man.”

Although many social media users were able to snap screen captures of the photo with Williams covered in blood, most news outlets have opted not to upload the photos due to the extremely graphic nature. However, photos of the accident can be seen here. It is unclear if the driver of the vehicle was inebriated at the time of the accident, but a tweet just hours before the accident has raised concerns. “I drunk so much ** lean I feel like I’m off a NyQuil,” Slaughter wrote, according to First Coast News.

There are a number of other factors that may also be vital to the investigation. It has been reported that there were no objects obstructing Slaughter’s view, and no skid marks were reportedly visible to reveal whether he tried to avoid hitting Williams.

Needless to say, Williams’ mother wants charges brought against Slaughter for the untimely death of her son. During a recent news interview, she shared her reaction to the series of events that have taken place. She raised a number of questions about Slaughter’s Twitter post with graphic details about her son’s lifeless body.

“To be honest, I’m enraged… I don’t know whether to be mad or sad. It makes me feel as if he deliberately killed my son… I shook him and I just wished he was sleeping… Maybe he could just wake up, just wake up one more time please, Trevius. But he was gone. How dare you do that? How dare you stand over my son’s mangled bloody body and take a picture of him?… To see the holes in my baby’s face and the blood coming from his ears and you know my baby in a body bag.”

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has not announced whether charges will be brought against the driver. The investigation into Trevius Williams’ death will be ongoing. There are a number of other issues also being taken into consideration where Slaughter is concerned. According to another report released by First Coast News, psychiatric issues may also be considered.

“There are a lot of issues that get folded up into this one act.” Dr. Jeffrey Goldhagen is the Chief of Pediatrics at UF Health.

“We see this type of behavior, risk taking behavior, behavior that results in impulsive acts so I would put this in that same category. We don’t know if this young man has an underlining psychiatric issue, we don’t really know about trauma that he might have experienced as a child that might be impacting him. We don’t know if this young man has an underlining psychiatric issue, we don’t really know about trauma that he might have experienced as a child that might be impacting him.”

Do you think the driver should face charges for Trevius Williams’ death? Share your thoughts.

[Image(s) via WSB-TV Screen Capture]

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