A second man has been arrested on suspicion of murder over the death of an ‘innocent’ child killed in suspected a hit-and-run attack.
Schoolboy Abdullah Yaha Al-Zaidy had arrived in the UK from Yemen for a ‘better future’ a few months ago.
A grey Audi struck down a 16-year-old while they were walking on the pavement in Staniforth Road, Sheffield. The incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon.
Detectives said the Audi appeared to swerve towards three e-bike riders, colliding with one of them before hitting the boy and driving off.
The teenager was taken to hospital after the incident in the Darnall area of the city on Wednesday but later died.
The South Yorkshire Police reported that a 26-year-old man, initially held on suspicion of assisting an offender, has been re-arrested. This time, the man faces allegations of murder and attempted murder.
It follows the arrest of a 20-year-old man on suspicion of the same offences in Kent on Thursday. Both men remain in custody.
According to detectives, the grey Audi targeted three electric bikes, ultimately hitting one rider. The injured rider sustained severe injuries, although they are believed to be non-life-threatening.
The Audi then collided with the teenager and failed to stop at the scene, officers said.
Abdullah Yaha Al-Zaidy was walking along the pavement in Staniforth Road on Wednesday afternoon when a grey Audi appeared to swerve towards a group of e-bike riders before ploughing into the boy, police said
The Audi driving in the opposite direction, appears to swerve into the lane the riders are on and hits one of them
Police at the scene of the ‘hit and run’ on Staniforth Road, Darnall, Sheffield, on Wednesday evening
Two people, a man aged 46 and a woman aged 45, who were arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender have both been bailed pending further enquiries.
Abdullah, known locally as Abdul, was reportedly walking to a nearby shop to meet his father with the two having plans to later eat together, when the tragedy happened.
Relatives and friends of of the teenager said he was devoted to his family and would ‘light up their faces with a big smile’.
He arrived in the UK from Yemen two or three months ago, and had devoted himself to learning English ahead of starting at college in September.
Abdullah’s relative Saleh Alsirkal runs the corner shop in Staniforth Road which the schoolboy visited just before the crash.
Mr Alsirkal said: ‘His dad brought him over to change his life, to get a better future for his son, but this has happened and destroyed everything.
‘God bless him. He’s in a better place than this place. Good has chosen him.’
He added: ‘I want to thank everybody for their support. Everyone has come together and this has helped the family.’
Evidence signs were scene on the floor at the scene of the horror crash
Video shared online appears to show two e-bike riders and a motorcyclist driving in one direction
Mr Alsirkal said Abdullah was a ‘kind boy’ who just wanted to look after his family, including his three sisters.
He said he was really enjoying learning English.
‘Every time he had a new word to learn he was so excited about it,’ he added.
‘It meant a lot to him and he learned quick. Sometimes he would stay in the shop just so he could talk to people. He tried to be friends with everyone.’
He continued: ‘He wanted to be the main guy for the family. He was 16-years-old but he was a clever man. I would call him a man.’
Abdullah’s friend Oasmah Thabet said the teenager ‘really cared for his family’.
‘You can really tell the character of somebody by the support they give to their family,’ Mr Thabet added.
‘It just shows the gratitude he had, and he spread that gratitude to the people around that community.
‘To the people who would come around and just say hello to him, he would light up their faces with a big smile.’
Mr Thabet said: ‘He was here for a few months and was starting the learn English as well.
‘I’d like to think that we related in the sense that both our families migrated from Yemen to here.
Staniforth Road was closed following the serious collision on Wednesday
‘The reason our family came here was for a better life – to live the dream.
‘For something to happen like this and for your dreams to be cut so short, it’s a tragic loss for the family and it’s a just a shock that can’t be described.”
He said that every family in the area was thinking ‘what if it’s my kid next’.
‘That’s something that no parent should ever feel,’ he said.
The community paid tribute to him in an announcement on social media, which said: ‘May Allah grant him the highest ranks of Jannah and grant his family and friends strength and patience during this unimaginable time.’
It added: ‘It is deeply heartbreaking to see his photo—a boy always smiling, always full of joy.
‘He worked tirelessly alongside his father and had plans to begin college soon.’
Video footage shared online appears to show two e-bike riders and a motorcyclist travelling along the road before the grey Audi, driving in the opposite direction, suddenly veers across the carriageway.
In harrowing footage, the motorcyclist narrowly misses the car while one of the e-bike riders is hit head on, being thrown into the air and into the hedge in front of a property.
Less than a second later, the driver continues on a further 80ft, crashing into the 16-year-old who had just stopped walking on the pavement.
In another video, after the rider is hit by the car, a pedestrian is seen being caught in the cross hairs
The incident happened shortly after 4.50pm on Wednesday in Staniforth Road in the Darnall area
Senior Investigating Officer in the case, Detective Chief Inspector Benjamin Wood, said: ‘This is a tragic incident in which an entirely innocent bystander, who was going about his daily business, has sadly lost his life. Our thoughts are with the boy’s loved ones, and we remain focused on securing justice for them.
‘We know that this incident will have caused concern in the local community, and we have a team of detectives working at pace to piece together the circumstances which unfolded.
‘We’re aware of footage being shared online and I’d like to reiterate our message to the public to withhold from speculating or circulating videos which may cause distress to the boy’s family.
‘If you have any footage, imagery or information that may help our investigation, then please share this directly with us – it may form an important part of our enquiries. We are also keen to hear from the riders of two electric bikes who were in the area at the time of the incident.’
Mojid Khan said the boy came to rest at the gates of his Staniforth Road wholesale business, and his staff were the first on the scene after hearing the collision.
South Yorkshire Police said the collision involved a grey Audi, which ‘failed to stop at the scene’
He said he arrived half an hour later and was shocked to see what his CCTV system had recorded.
Mr Khan said yesterday: ‘When it happens on your doorstep, literally, it does affect you. It’s quite horrific to see how it happens.’
He said: ‘I think it’s a local lad that’s passed away and another local lad that got injured on a motorbike. It’s shocking for us as a community.
‘The disturbing thing is that this is not the first time that this has happened. It seems every few months something like this is going on.
‘I think that’s a matter for our politicians to do something about.’
He said: ‘Tomorrow is our Eid festival. That’s going to hit them (the boy’s family) even harder.
‘It should be a happy day. I’m really sad for the family. Their loss is going to be that much greater tomorrow.’
Lauren, 31, who did not wish to give her surname, was giving CPR to the teenager and shouting to ask people to help.
She said: ‘I don’t want to go in to detail, it was traumatic – a young, beautiful boy has lost his life to something he wasn’t even involved in.’
