KEATON SLATER: A family's fight for justice
The 12-year-old was killed in a hit-and-run on Radford Road in June
The family of 12-year-old Keaton Slater, killed in a hit-and-run in Coventry, say "he had a heart of gold" and that they "need to get justice for their son".
It was on June 14, when Keaton Slater was walking down Radford Road at 4:30pm when he was struck down by a black BMW.
No one has been charged for Keaton's death.
The Slater family's fight for justice continues - three months after Keaton died following the incident on Radford Road on 14 June.
The main suspect wanted on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving - Dolars Aleksanders - still has not been caught following the incident.
West Midlands Police say they are continuing to pursue "strong lines of enquiry in relation to the whereabouts" of the 21-year-old.
Since the incident - West Midlands Police say a 56-year-old man has been detained on suspicion of assisting an offender and a 21-year-old man was also arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
Both men have been bailed pending further enquiries and a third man, who has been voluntarily interviewed, has been released under investigation.
At the time of the incident, Sergeant Rich Evans, from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit said:
"We have been working round the clock to bring everyone involved in this collision to justice.
"Our thoughts remain with Keaton’s devastated family at this truly awful time and we'd ask anyone who does still have vital information and is thinking about speaking up, to bear that family in mind and do the right thing."
We have approached West Midlands Police for an updated response to their efforts for finding Aleksanders - they said:
"We're actively pursuing strong lines of enquiry in relation to the whereabouts of Dolars Aleksanders.
"Our focus remains on getting justice for Keaton and his family as soon as we possibly can.
"We're continuing to progress the investigation by collecting as much evidence as possible, so we build a clear picture around the tragic events on 14 June."
Community spirit
Following the death of Keaton Slater on 14 June, the local community in Radford Road have come together to support the 12-year-old's family.
Over £60,000 was raised for the family via a JustGiving, set up my John McDevitt.
On the page, John said:
"This fundraiser will help the parents / family with funeral expenses and all other living costs at this terrible time.
"All funds raised will give them some time to begin processing and mourn the loss of their son / brother without having the extra burden of worrying about paying for a funeral, bills and going to work etc.
"From my experience of sadly arranging a very similar fundraiser a couple of years ago the fact people will be donating and leaving comments will be of great comfort to the family as it shows they are not alone in there darkest hours."
Donations were closed on 2 August 2024 and raised a total of £60,420 - 172% of the original target set.
Since this, a petition has been set up by members of the local community - following speculation on social media that Aleksanders has fled to his native Latvia.
The petition is calling for him to be "extradited" back to the UK for justice and has over 62,000 signatures.
Keaton's mum and dad, Louise and Clive, said: "As a community everyone has been so strong for us but we need to get justice for our son.
"People can see it's acceptable because no one's been done for a murder and driving 80 mph.
"We feel like we're in limbo, which is why we started this petition to get action and get justice served."
We've approached West Midlands Police for a comment on the this.