TWO men havve been arrested in connection with the hit-and-run death of a British boy in the Los Cristianos area of Adeje, Tenerife on Thursday.
Nine-year-old Carter Carson was on holiday with his family, who live in Newtownabbey, near Belfast (Northern Ireland) when he was struck outside the Gran Sur shopping centre near the El Rodeo CEPSA service station at 20.30.
He was in cardiac arrest when the ambulance reached the scene and, after restarting his pulse, paramedics took him straight to the Nuestra Señora de Candelaria University Hospital.
But Carter's injuries were so severe that he died the next day, on Good Friday.
The driver did not stop after hitting him, but CCTV footage of the car posted on social media led to the owners being identified within two days, and they have since been taken into custody.
As yet, their identities have not been revealed, but interior minister Juan Ignacio Zoido highlighted the importance of networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram in helping solve crimes.
“Public cooperation has been, once again, fundamental – thank you all foryour help,” Zoido tweeted yesterday (Easter Sunday).
Meanwhile, the local community in Newtownabbey is said to be 'reeling' and a flood of condolences and tributes to the popular schoolboy have been posted on social media.
Abbots Cross Primary School in Newtownabbey wrote on Facebook that staff, children and parents were 'deeply saddened' by the 'sudden loss' of their P5 pupil Carter Carson.
South Belfast Youth Football International League, where Carter played for 18th Newtownabbey, has cancelled all its games for this coming Saturday, April 7.
According to The Belfast Telegraph, a crowdfunding campaign via Just Giving to raise money for Carter's funeral, launched by the South Belfast Youth League, has netted in region of €7,500 in less than three days.
Funding organiser Charlene Dinnen is quoted in The Belfast Telegraph as saying: “Carter was a happy-go-lucky wee boy who just loved his footy, taking after his daddy and granddad.
“I can't even put into words how heartbreaking this is. Sleep tight, wee man.”
South Belfast Youth League chairman said the club was 'heartbroken', and revealed Carter had played for them since he was five years old.
Photograph by Spain's interior ministry on Twitter
