FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, October 13, 2021
Driver Who Struck and Killed Six-Year-Old Girl in
Dyker Heights Crosswalk Indicted for Manslaughter
Allegedly Drove into Opposite Lane of Traffic and Around Another Vehicle
To Make a Left Turn, Striking Child as She Crossed the Street with her Mother
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a Brooklyn man has been arraigned on an indictment in which he is charged with manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and other charges for striking and killing a six-year-old child as she crossed a street in Dyker Heights.
District Attorney Gonzalez said, “This defendant allegedly recklessly drove into oncoming traffic to get around a vehicle that was in front of him and ended up striking and killing an innocent child. We will now seek to hold him accountable for his actions. I am committed to protecting pedestrians and all who use our streets from unsafe drivers who endanger our community.”
The District Attorney identified the defendant as Qiuhua Zhu, 30, of Sunset Park, Brooklyn. He was arraigned yesterday before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice William Harrington on a 12-count indictment in which he is charged with second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, second-degree assault, and related charges. He remains out on $50,000 bail and was ordered to return to court on December 1, 2021. He faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison if convicted of the top count.
The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, on August 24, 2021, at approximately 8 p.m., the defendant was allegedly driving a 2017 Lexus GX460 southbound on 12th Avenue, crossing over the solid yellow pavement markings into the opposite lane of traffic and driving around another vehicle directly in front of the defendant’s vehicle. The other vehicle had stopped and had motioned for the child to cross the street. After driving around the other vehicle, the defendant allegedly made a left turn at the intersection of 67th Street and struck the child, Tamy Hiromi Quema Guachiac, who was crossing 67th Street in the east crosswalk, from north to south, with the pedestrian signal in her favor.
The child was taken to Maimonides Medical Center and died a short time later.
The case is being prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Steven Bravo and Assistant District Attorney Jessica Wishart, of the District Attorney’s Blue Zone Trial Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Kin Ng, Bureau Chief.
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An indictment is merely an accusation and not proof of a defendant’s guilt