A south Minneapolis community will hold a walking vigil on Sunday afternoon to remember a 4-year-old killed by a vehicle last month as he crossed the street.
Jose Manuel Parra Rodriguez was hit shortly after sunset on Sept. 30 near Stewart Park, where his mother had been playing soccer. According to police, the driver, a 58-year-old woman from Minneapolis, was distraught immediately after the accident at E. 26th Street and 11th Avenue S.
The vigil will begin at 2 p.m. Community members will gather and then walk together and return to the memorial site for a closing ceremony.
During the vigil, community members will make a plea for pedestrian safety. Jeff Carlson, one of the event's organizers, said 26th Street can be dangerous. He said the street could be improved by lowering the speed limit and adding signs alerting motorists that children cross the street to get to the park, among other ideas.
