MANCHESTER — Police identified the 3-year-old struck and fatally injured by a car early Wednesday as Akari Cortes.
The girl was killed after a car struck her on East Center Street in Manchester early Wednesday, according to police.
Officers responded to a report of a person struck in the 300 block of East Center Street shortly after 4:30 a.m., police said, and determined that a 49-year-old Manchester man driving west on the street had hit Cortes.
She was taken to Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, where she died of her injuries, police said in a news release.
The driver remained on the scene and was “fully cooperating” with the investigation, police said.
East Center Street was temporarily closed between Goodwin and Parker streets for the crash, though it reopened shortly before 11 a.m., authorities announced.
Lt. Nick Reinert of the Manchester Police Department said investigators are examining all circumstances surrounding the girl’s death, including why she was outside at that hour. It was not clear as of Wednesday afternoon whether Cortes was unattended at the time. Police have alerted the state Department of Children and Families, he said.
DCF spokesperson Peter Yazbak confirmed Wednesday that the child welfare agency is also investigating.
“We are heartbroken by the death of this young child and extend our deepest condolences to the child’s family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time,” Yazbak said in an emailed statement. “At the time of the tragedy, we were actively investigating the family based on two reports received” earlier this month “alleging lack of supervision.”
“We are working closely with law enforcement to investigate the circumstances surrounding this tragedy while concurrently assessing the need for supportive services,” Yazbak wrote.
Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact Officer Nicholas Sinopoli at 860-533-8620.