Young boy killed in Moulden Supermarket carpark identified as Queenslander Daemarius Purcell- Appo
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PICTURED: An 11-year-old boy who died in a horrific accident in a supermarket parking lot while walking to buy fish and chips, as revealed, the boy had been visiting his terminally ill grandfather for Christmas.
- Daemarius ‘Dae Dae’ Purcell-Appo, 11, was killed in East Darwin on Tuesday
- He was visiting Moulden supermarket to buy fish and chips with his family.
- Daemarius was struck and pinned to the wall by a Dodge Ram pickup at around 12:45 p.m.
- Two GoFundMe fundraisers have been created on behalf of his grieving family.
The heartbroken family of an 11-year-old boy who was struck by a car in a supermarket parking lot has revealed that he had traveled interstate to say goodbye to his dying grandfather.
Daemarius Purcell-Appo, nicknamed Dae Dae, was struck by a Dodge Ram van in the parking lot of the East Darwin Moulden supermarket at around 12:45pm Tuesday.
It is understood that the 54-year-old driver of the van intended to back up, but accidentally “stumbled” forward onto the sidewalk, pinning the boy, who was walking in front, between the van and the wall of the grocery store. bottles.
Daemarius, who grew up in Darwin, was visiting his grandparents in the city after traveling from his Queensland regional home of Innisfail along with his mother Keshia.
Daemarius ‘Dae Dae’ Purcell-Appo (above) was struck and killed by a Dodge Ram ute Tuesday while shopping for fish and chips for his family at the local grocery store.
The family had hoped this Christmas would be the last they would spend with Daemarius’s grandfather, as he has stage four cancer.
Daemarius had just bought fish and chips with his cousin and uncle and was walking back to the car when he was fatally struck.
Despite the desperate efforts of customers, supermarket staff and paramedics, the 11-year-old boy could not be saved.
Since then, his distraught family has established a GoFundMe to raise funds to bring his body back to Queensland.
His family described him as an “energetic, caring, cheeky and caring young man”.
‘Dae Dae knew how to play a good game of backyard rugby with his brothers at home. He also loved his rubix cube and could solve it fast,” his family wrote.
‘Daemarius was a smart and intelligent young man, being the eldest of 6 boys and everyone looked up to his older brother.
Taken too soon, Daemarius leaves behind his loving parents, Daniel and Keshia, his brothers and sisters, and a large family that will forever miss his loving cousin, nephew, and grandson.
The name ‘Daemarius’ means warrior and he lived up to that name to the end.’
His family also added that he was crazy about rugby, being a superfan of the North Queensland Cowboys and NRL stars Johnathan Thurston and Latrell Mitchell.
The 11-year-old boy was fatally struck by a van at Moulden supermarket in east Darwin on Tuesday.
Moulden Supermarket owner Helen Harvey, who was working at the time of the tragedy, said the boy’s death was devastating.
“It’s just a terrible tragedy,” he told Daily Mail Australia.
Ms Harvey said customers and staff desperately tried to save the boy, and one of them grabbed the store’s defibrillator, the NT news informed.
“We are shocked,” he said.
Detective Sergeant Major Brendan Lindner said the boy’s death is being treated as a “tragic accident” while investigations continue.
NT police confirmed the driver tested positive on a roadside test, but police were still awaiting the results of a blood test and did not say what drug was detected.
The 54-year-old man has been released without charge pending further investigation.
Sergeant Lindner said paramedics were unable to save the boy, while his family witnessed the horror.
“It’s been a horrible incident for them to witness,” he said.
“You can only imagine what Christmas will be like for this poor family with the loss of their son and brother.”
Anyone who witnessed the incident is urged to contact the police.