3-year-old child killed by car while running from parent on Melbourne street, police say

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MELBOURNE, Fla. - A 3-year-old child was killed after being struck by a car while running from a parent in Melbourne on Sunday night, according to police. The child's mother was also injured in the crash in an attempt to stop her child. 

The incident happened in the area of Dairy Road and Hall Street shortly before 8:30 p.m., according to the Melbourne Police Department. When police arrived to the intersection, they found the 3-year-old and a parent had sustained serious bodily injuries as a result of the crash. 

The crash happened after the child and two adults were getting out of a car parked southbound along Dairy Road to return home, police said. The car they were getting out of also had a trailer attached. The child ran from their parents, behind the trailer and into the northbound lanes of Dairy Road. 

When a parent – identified as 31-year-old Cassandry Lyn Becher – tried to stop the child, they were both hit by a 2009 Honda Pilot being driven northbound, police said. Police ID'ed the driver as 56-year-old Stephanos Maminakis. 

The extent of Becher's injuries is unknown at this time. The child was pronounced deceased. Police did not release the child's name due to age. 

Police said drugs and alcohol were not a factor in the crash. 

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This incident is currently being investigated as a traffic homicide. Anyone with information is urged to call Traffic Homicide Investigator Officer Chris Livingston at 321-288-8288.