An active-duty soldier has surrendered to authorities in admitted that he forced his girlfriend’s child out of the car because “he was unruly” causing his death.
Bryan Starr, 35, was traveling with 5-year-old Austin Birdseye on a busy highway near Fort Mitchell Sunday night when he got frustrated over the child’s loudness.
He pulled over at a local church parking lot and drooped off the boy there on that rainy and dark night. Moments later, Austin was fatally struck by a vehicle.
“We have their information, and we have spoken to them and will speak to them again, but at this point, there’s no indication that they had a chance of not hitting the little guy,” officer Heath Taylor said of the involved car’s driver.
Police said that the area where Austin stood was poorly lit and with the rainy condition it was just impossible to avoid striking him.
“What do you say to that? What is your thought process when you tell a 5-year-old to get out of the car on a rainy night because they were being loud in the car? It’s just heartbreaking.”
The boy’s mom was reportedly not in the car at the time of the incident. Starr, a 17-year veteran, was assigned at Fort Benning, Georgia as a sergeant first class soldier.
