CHARLESTON, S.C. — Charleston police said an 11-year-old girl died after being hit by a car Monday night, according to our news partner WCIV.
The child was visiting the United States with her family from Denmark and was in Charleston for a couple of days.
The family reported they decided to take the girl off of life support Tuesday morning.
A spokesman for the Charleston Police Department, Charles Francis, said police arrested and charged the driver of the vehicle, 30-year-old Jeffrey William Wakefield, with felony DUI and reckless homicide.
Police believe Wakefield was impaired at the time of the collision and was fleeing after hitting a parked car prior to hitting the girl.
Wakefield reportedly drove through an intersection, traveled onto the sidewalk, and hit the girl, police said.
Officials also said Wakefield failed a sobriety test at the scene of the accident and took breath, blood, and urine samples to test as well.
Wakefield was previously arrested in 2016 in Columbia, SC on a prostitution charge, SLED records show. He was not convicted of this charge.
The victim's name has not been released.
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