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Inset, left to right: Nyomi Summers (Family photo/WSOC) and Khaliyal Burney (Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The road where Burney allegedly struck and killed Summers (Google Maps).
A tragic incident occurred in North Carolina when a 23-year-old man, allegedly speeding through a residential area, struck and killed an 8-year-old girl who was on her way to a sleepover. The driver then fled the scene.
Authorities arrested Khaliyal Burney last week, charging him with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle for the death of Nyomi Summers, according to court documents. Additional charges against him include driving with a revoked license, lacking liability insurance, failure to register the vehicle, and using a fictitious registration.
Nyomi Summers was riding her bike in a north Charlotte neighborhood on Saturday evening, heading to a friend’s house for a sleepover, when she was hit by Burney, who was driving a 2006 Chrysler 3000 sedan, as reported by Charlotte NBC affiliate WCNC.
Despite being rushed to a nearby hospital, the young girl tragically succumbed to her injuries, officials confirmed.
Legal documents indicate that Burney was “unlawfully and willingly” driving at about 35 mph in a 25 mph zone at the time of the collision, with the speeding cited as the direct cause of the fatal incident.
When officers arrived, they reportedly located Summers in the roadway, along with her damaged bicycle.
Surveillance footage from a nearby home allegedly showed the driver of the Chrysler 3000 revving the vehicle’s engine multiple times then accelerating just before the fatal collision, Charlotte ABC affiliate WSOC reported.
Neighbors described a chaotic and heartbreaking scene in the moments surrounding the crash, with several saying they heard the impact from inside their homes.
“And I heard it when he hit her,” a neighbor told WCNC. “I heard the bump of a body. He just went down the street … he didn’t even put on no brakes.”
Others said the area is filled with children and that drivers are expected to slow down, especially on residential streets where kids frequently ride bikes and play.
“The way this neighborhood is, the way the streets are made, you shouldn’t be driving all fast like that down here,” another neighbor told WCNC.
“I heard him when he took off,” Mae Lynn, another neighbor told Spectrum News. “I heard him when he hit her body. I heard him when he went down, yielded and kept on going. Then, they were out here calling him and telling him he had hit a baby in the street.”
Lynn also claimed Burney had a history of driving too fast in the neighborhood.
“Someone hollers at him every day to slow down, because he comes through here like that all the time,” she told the station.
Another witness described seeing children scatter moments before the collision.
“The other two kids got out the street. Nyomi wasn’t quick enough with her little legs,” the woman told WSOC. “She had eyes on her. She wasn’t unattended. She did not run in front of no car. That car hit her like she was an animal. It kept going until he probably got a phone call saying he hit that baby.”
Following the impact, Burney reportedly returned to the scene. Investigators later said he was not impaired at the time of the crash.
In the days since the crash, a memorial has grown near the scene as community members mourn the loss of the young girl.
Neighbors described Summers as a child who regularly played in the area and was well known in the neighborhood.
“She didn’t have to lose her life because of a reckless driver,” one person said. “That could have been anybody.”
Burney was released after posting $1,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on June 5, according to court records.