Hundreds of people gathered to say goodbye to two brothers killed in a fiery crash along Route 50 last week.
Anthony Vindel, 11, and 2-year-old Delonte McKie were killed Friday on eastbound Route 50 in Bowie, Md. Their mother got into a minor accident near Martin Luther King Highway. When she got out to talk to the driver of the vehicle she'd hit, another car slammed into her Honda, which burst into flames. The boys were in the back seat.
At First Baptist Church in Glenarden, their small, white caskets were wheeled outside Wednesday afternoon. Both were covered with flowers. Delonte’s was topped with an Elmo doll, while a stuffed Mickey Mouse sat atop Anthony’s. Their mother walked out flanked by two family members and followed by a dozen flower arrangements, photos and framed jerseys given to the family by Anthony’s football team.
Dozens of photos of the brothers also decorated the funeral. Above one of them was a letter from their father, reading, in part, "I only have a picture now, a frozen piece of time … to remind me how it was ... when you were here and mine."
Last month, Anthony turned 11. In just 10 days Delonte would have turned 3. Day-care provider DeSchawn Greenwood told News4 Delonte had one birthday wish. He’d asked her for $50 worth of balloons. He wanted enough balloons to fill his day-care center.
“He said, 'Will you please make sure you get me my balloons and have them for me on my birthday?' I said, 'Yes, baby, I will. I will have them at the daycare for you,'” Greenwood said.
She will keep her promise to Delonte and buy the balloons. She's planning a birthday party and candlelight vigil for him at her day-care center next Saturday. It will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Tumbling Kids Care at 406 23rd Place NE, in Washington.
Officers with the Maryland State Police are still investigating the crash. The Prince George’s County State's Attorney's Office will then determine if any charges should be filed.
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