13-year-old dies after being hit by truck in Indio

A 13-year-old pedestrian was killed after being struck by a pickup truck in Indio on Sunday.

Police responded to the fatal traffic collision at the intersection of Avenue 48 and Oasis Street around 8:22 p.m., the Indio Police Department said. The Riverside County Coroner's office identified the boy as Ismael Fuentes of Indio.

Fuentes died at the scene, said Ben Guitron, Indio Police spokesperson.

Mary Perry, spokesperson for Desert Sands Unified School District, said Fuentes was a student at Colonel Mitchell Paige Middle School.

"The entire Desert Sands Unified School District Community is saddened by the loss of one of our own," she said. "We send our deepest sympathy to the family. He and his siblings and parents are an integral part of the DSUSD family. Our counselors spent the day with students and staff as we grieve over this loss."

Guitron said the driver of the pickup truck that struck Fuentes was cooperating with police. Drugs and alcohol do not appear to be involved in the collision, according to the department.

The department said Avenue 48, between Monroe and Jackson Street, was closed for around six hours after the accident took place.

Police asked anyone with information to contact them at 760-391-4051 or call anonymously through Valley Crime Stoppers at 760-341-7867.

Desert Sun reporter Jonathan Horwitz contributed to this report.

Ani Gasparyan covers the western Coachella Valley cities of Desert Hot Springs and Cathedral City. Reach her at ani.gasparyan@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: 13-year-old boy killed after being struck by a pickup truck in Indio