8 year old laid to rest, hit and run suspect appears in court

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – The case against a man accused in a deadly hit and run crash in Schenectady is now in county court. It happened on the same day the 8 year old boy who was killed in that crash was laid to rest. 

On Tuesday, Light’s Funeral Home was packed with more than 100 relatives and friends gathered to remember Zion. The 8 year old was struck by a vehicle on Wednesday night, just after 7:30 P.M. The driver fled the scene. Zion’s mom Sequia Gamble is devastated.

“He was precious and he hit my baby like he was nothing and I want justice because there’s no way he didn’t see my baby. My baby is short, but he’s not that short. And if you’re in a big car, you sit up high, you can see. And my baby was not in the wrong. Especially if you tried to sped up to try to beat the light before it turned red,” said Gamble.

The family is hurting. They gathered after his funeral and called for, “Justice for Zion! Justice for Zion. He knows he hit that baby. He’s lying. He knows what he did to Zion.”

Shortly after the hit and run, Conroy Simpson was arrested and charged with leaving the scene of a fatal accident — a Class D Felony — and driving without insurance. His Attorney Jasper Mills described Simpson when he appeared in city court on Tuesday.

“Upset. Crying. Even the thought of what happened, especially the thought of what happened to a child when he has three children himself, it’s something that’s gonna haunt him for the rest of his life,” said Mills. He said Simpson had no idea what happened until he was contacted by police.

“He gave them his location. He waited for them to show up and once he found out and once he was notified by the police what actually happened it destroyed him,” said Mills.

Gamble and her family don’t believe his account. “I feel like he’s lying. After he hit my son, my daughter said that he flew. And then he ran over him. So how do you not see that? Even if you’re in a big car, you can feel the impact. He knows he hit something though, even if you didn’t know you hit a person, you know you hit something,” said Gamble.

Simpson was held in the Schenectady County Jail. His bail was listed at $500,000. He posted bond and was released on Friday.

“He’s sitting nicely with his kids. He’s with his children. We’re sitting here and we’re mourning for somebody you took away from us, who was precious to us. He meant a lot to us,” said Loretta Fauntleroy, Zion’s Grandmother.

Simpson’s next court date is not known at this time, however the case is being transferred to the county court. Schenectady Police have not yet shared an update on the investigation or shared if any additional charges will be filed.

The family is urging the community, the county and elected officials to come together to ‘bring swift justice for Zion’.

“I want justice for my son. There’s nothing more I can say. I don’t know why this man keeps getting let go. I don’t know if it’s a money situation cause I’m willing to pay a lawyer too,” said Gamble. The family has a GoFundMe account set up for donations.