The boy, William Randall Garrett, was struck by a red Ford F-150 pickup truck around 7:45 p.m. Saturday on Adamson Square in Carrollton. He was pronounced dead at Tanner Medical Center shortly after arriving.
The driver, 20-year-old Timothy Perry, stopped immediately, police said, and is cooperating with investigators. Officers do not believe alcohol was involved.
Carrollton Police Department Capt. Jami Sailors said no other impairments or distractions were suspected, but the investigation is ongoing.
“We don’t know if everyone was attempting to cross at a go light or if the child darted out,” Sailors said.
Garrett, previously reported to be 5 years old, was walking near a crosswalk on Newnan Street when he was hit. He, his father and brother had just picked up a to-go order at a downtown restaurant.
Witnesses are still be questioned, Sailors said, concerning the cross-walk signals and traffic light status at the time of the accident.
Sailors said police and other emergency personnel arrived around the same time after a 7:48 p.m. 911 call from an unknown bystander.
“It’s always a tragedy when someone loses their life like this, but if it’s a kid, that makes it a whole lot tougher,” Sailors said.
Capt. Chris Dobbs, of the police department’s criminal investigation division, said the event was most likely a “tragic accident.”
Visitation for Will Garrett will be held at Almon Funeral Home in Carrollton on Thursday from 10 a.m. to noon. The service will follow shortly after at 2 p.m. at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church. Interment will be at Shiloh United Methodist Church cemetery.
Will was a third-grader at Oak Mountain Academy. Rhyne Owenby, director of development and marketing at Oak Mountain, said the school is “devastated” by the loss, and that it is waiting for the grieving process to progress before planning any kind of memorial event.
“We are waiting on the family to finish all of the funeral arrangements before we even start to think about planning anything,” Owenby said. “We want to respect their wishes above all else.”
Garrett was the second eldest son of local businessman and Times-Georgian columnist Joe Garrett and his wife, Ali.