A tragic incident occurred in Stockton this past Sunday morning, leading to the death of an 11-year-old girl after an SUV she was in struck a tree. The crash happened around 7:45 a.m. along the 5800 block of North El Dorado Street, near St. Mary's High School. Upon their arrival, Stockton Police Department officers discovered six juveniles at the scene: an 11-year-old girl, two 13-year-olds (one girl and one boy), two 14-year-old girls, and a 15-year-old girl. The youngest among them, 11-year-old Queen Norwood, was later pronounced dead at a hospital, according to a report by KCRA.
While details are still emerging, authorities confirmed that all the other children sustained non-life-threatening injuries during the incident. The Stockton Police Department is currently investigating the circumstances leading up to the crash, and it has not been confirmed whether an adult was present at the time of the accident. A balloon release was organized by loved ones of Norwood on North El Dorado Street Sunday to pay tribute to her. Additionally, a GoFundMe has been started by the family to cover the costs associated with her memorial servic, as reported by KCRA.
Officer Omer Edah, spokesperson for the Stockton Police Department, expressed the gravity of the situation in a statement obtained by ABC10, saying, "It is very alarming. These are all very young children, between the ages of 11 and 15, and, unfortunately, one of them succumbed to their injuries. It’s disturbing. It’s very alarming." He went on to stress the importance of community awareness surrounding children's safety and vehicle access, highlighting the need to be mindful of where car keys are and who potentially has access to them.
The authorities have not yet confirmed who was driving the SUV when it crashed. "We're not able to confirm that exact detail, but that's obviously one of the things our investigators are trying to determine is the seat positions of all those occupants of that vehicle at that time of the crash," Officer Edah told ABC10. He noted that every one of the minors was a passenger in the vehicle and there doesn't appear to have been an adult accompanying them.
