13-year-old girl Kira Goddard dies a hero as she saves friends from out-of-control SUV
Lillian Rizzo, Trevor Kapp, and Barry Paddock, DAILY NEWS WRITERS
A 13-year-old Brooklyn girl died a hero after shooing other kids out of the way of an SUV - driven by a mortally wounded ex-con - before it crushed her, police and witnesses said Sunday.
Kira Goddard shouted a warning moments before the Range Rover crashed in front of her Brownsville home, neighbors said.
"She saved them all," said Lyn Joseph, 36. "She said, 'Run, run,' to all the other kids, because she saw the car coming. And when she went to move out of the way it was too late."
Sean Lewis, who had a stab wound to the torso, was driving the SUV west on Pacific St. when it hit three double-parked cars near Saratoga Ave. about 10:10 p.m. Saturday, cops said. He backed up, hit a parked car and flipped his vehicle.
The SUV pinned Kira onto the front steps of her apartment building. She died at the scene.
"She always told me she loved me," said Kira's devastated father, Wesley Bishop, 59, a construction worker. "She last called me to make sure I took my medication - my [blood] pressure pills. She always did."
Kira often took care of younger kids on the block, neighbors said.
Lewis, 44, was rushed to Brookdale University Hospital with head injuries in addition to the stab wound, but could not be saved, officials said.
Police are investigating when and how Lewis was stabbed. The city medical examiner will determine his cause of death.
Kira's neighbors said Lewis, who lived in Bedford-Stuyvesant, was hanging out at a barbecue on the block before the crash.
Lewis had nine prior arrests, including felony assault, four robberies and criminal possession of a controlled substance, cops said.
"He was hardworking, a family man," said Sean Norman, 24, one of Lewis' 10 children. "He took care of all of his kids."
Photo: Top - Both the stabbed driver and the girl were killed in the crash. (Ken Goldfield/News) Bottom - Kira Goddard, 13, was killed by a driver who was stabbed and crashed his SUV.
