BROOKLYN, N.Y. (PIX11) — DaQuan Askew spoke Thursday about his late nephew, 7-year-old Kamari Hughes, hours before his family prepared to say their final goodbye to him at the Brown Memorial Baptist Church in Brooklyn.
“Very uplifting, very exciting all the time, always thinking it’s playtime,” Askew said.
Kamari, a little boy with a big smile and an even bigger heart, was struck and killed in October by the civilian driver of a NYPD tow truck.
The driver turned the corner at Myrtle and North Portland avenues and ran over Kamari while he was in the crosswalk on his scooter on the way to school, according to police. On Thursday, at that very same corner, loved ones consoled the boy’s mother, Taqunda Hughes.
As pallbearers carried Kamari’s small casket, painted with a Spider-Man theme in honor of his hero, into a horse-drawn buggy, his mom was at the reins.
“They took him out like a little king. And he deserved that. He was a child and he didn’t get to live life,” said Letisha, a family friend.
Shania, another family friend, told PIX11 News, “I remember most him doing backflips, playing in the swings, just being vibrant, running around the park enjoying life, being a young boy. Beautiful young boy. Sweet, sweet, sweet. A sweet young baby.”
Mayor Eric Adams, who spoke with Taqunda Hughes on Oct. 26 just hours after she lost her son, also attended Thursday’s funeral.
Kamari’s uncle reflected on the ability of how a little boy could leave such a big, lasting impression.
“I have so much great memories of him. He’s still the light of my day for me. Every time I wake up, I still think – he makes me smile. He makes me keep moving,” Askew said. “Love your loved ones. Stay close. As you can see from this situation, everything is not promised.”
