MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – An 18-year-old man was struck by a car and killed early Tuesday in Miami Gardens.
Miami Gardens police said the crash occurred shortly after 5:30 a.m. on County Line Road near Northwest Seventh Avenue.
Police said the victim was struck by a car and pronounced dead at the scene.
"I want to make sure it is my son. I want to cross. Police say if I cross, they arrest me. I say, 'I don't care. I feel something,'" La Fortune Elliance told Local 10 News.
Elliance soon found out that the victim was his eldest son, Ali Elliance.
"I call Ali for Mohammad Ali. I call him Ali for my mom. I want to make a legacy," La Fortune Elliance said.
A view from Sky 10 showed a red car with front-end damage stopped in the road after the crash.
Police said the adult driver remained at the scene and is cooperating with the investigation.
Meanwhile, the Elliance family is in shock. They said Ali joined his family five years ago from Haiti and was trying to graduate school so he could help his family, especially his 7-year-old disabled brother.
"He was a second father for his little brother," the victim's aunt said. "He was taking care of his little brother, which he is in a wheelchair and with a feeding tube."
His loss to the entire family feels insurmountable in this moment. His family said they are relying on their faith to get them through this time.
"He was my best friend. He showed me the life," La Fortune Elliance said.
The Elliance family is now trying to figure out how they will be able to afford a funeral for their loved one. Anyone who wishes to help the family is asked to call Marie Voltaire at 954-638-5363.