Police promise ‘priority’ after Keaton Slater’s death

Police have vowed to tackle speeding in the city after the tragic hit-and-run death of 12-year-old Keaton Slater. He died after being hit by a BMW on Radford Road.

Schoolboy Keaton, who went to Cardinal Newman Catholic School, was crossing Radford Road when he was struck by a black BMW which was later found abandoned in New Arley. He was driving 30 mph over the speed limit when he hit the 12-year-old, West Midlands Police said.

Latvian Dolars Aleksanders remains at large following the fatal collision, which took place on Friday 14 June at around 16:30. He is wanted on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, West Midlands Police said.

READ MORE: Coventry to pay special tribute to tragic hit-and-run victim Keaton Slater

Charity Crimestoppers has issued a reward of up to £10,000 for information leading to the arrest of 21-year-old Aleksanders. It’s available for the next three months and is set to expire on Friday, September 20.

Superintendent Paul Joyce, of Coventry Police, said he was focusing on speeding in the city as a “priority”. He said: “It is a priority for us.

“We are working with the local authority and working with other police teams to combat and tackle this as a problem. It’s clearly a priority for us at the moment to make sure we target illegal driving.”

Almost two weeks have passed since the tragic collision and 21-year-old Aleksanders, who West Midlands Police said was the “prime suspect”, has yet to be arrested. Superintendent Joyce urged those involved in Keaton’s death to “do the right thing”.

Superintendent Joyce said: “I would urge anyone who knows anything about this matter to come forward. Anyone who cares for any of the people involved in this matter needs to contact us or if you are personally responsible I would really urge you to come forward and do the right thing.”

He added: “We have a lot of resources committed to this issue right now and we will continue to deploy those resources until we get the right outcome for the family.”

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