5-year-old boy killed after tree ‘completely demolished’ house, Missouri official says

A 5-year-old boy died after a tree fell on his home during a storm in Missouri, reports say.

The child, identified in a GoFundMe as Robert “RJ” Lawrence III, was killed during severe weather that hit Missouri on Saturday, July 1.

The storm caused the tree to fall and crush the home in Jennings, a suburb of St. Louis, according to KSDK. The house was “completely demolished,” councilwoman Nadia Quinn said in the GoFundMe.

“They got trapped. The babies got trapped,” neighbor Manuel Garza told KSDK. “It got hit by lightning. We heard lightning and all that stuff. And then, the one hit the house where the kids were sleeping, and they were yelling, yelling. And they couldn’t do nothing.”

Quinn said it took 45 minutes for first responders to arrive. Because 911 dispatch was unavailable, a neighbor drove to the police station for help.

Officers found the boy unconscious as he was trapped under the tree that fell onto his bedroom, KMOV reported.

RJ was freed “after several rescue attempts,” according to RiverBender.com. He died after being taken to a hospital.

Quinn described RJ as “a beautiful young man.”

This story was originally published July 3, 2023 at 5:22 AM with the headline "5-year-old boy killed after tree ‘completely demolished’ house, Missouri official says."