Authorities have confirmed that a child was killed Wednesday after being struck by a vehicle driven by Scotland County Commissioner Guy McCook.
The accident occurred around noon at the intersection of Plant and Rea Magnet roads near the city limits.
According to Laurinburg police, McCook was driving northwest on Plant Road when a one-year-old child ran into the road from a residential driveway.
No charges are anticipated.
According to officials, the child was under the supervision of a grandparent when he ran toward a mud puddle. When the grandmother tried to pursue the child, the child moved into the road in front of McCook’s vehicle.
“Medical officials indicate the child expired at the scene of the accident,” said Laurinburg Police Lt. Cliff Sessoms.
Authorities did not release the name of the child.
By Wednesday afternoon a makeshift memorial to the deceased child was erected at the site of the accident. The memorial sits only feet from orange lines that were spray painted onto the street surface by law enforcement officials.
The Laurinburg Police Department and the state Highway Patrol are investigating the accident.
McCook serves as chairman of the county board. He could not be reached for comment.
“It is real tragedy,” said a Laurinburg official who asked not to be named. “It is devastating for the family who lost this young child and because I know Guy McCook and the type of person he is, it is a tragedy for him as well.”
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