La'Darious was buried Thursday in South Carolina.
La'Darious Wylie died after an alleged hit-and-run collision in Chester, S.C., on a late October morning. He was 11 years old.
After his death last week, Wylie's family told reporters that the fifth-grader - who had been waiting for a school bus - was struck after he tried to save his younger sister. He pushed the 7-year-old out of harm's way, relatives said, but was then struck himself.
"In other words, he saved his sister," his aunt, Felicia Mobley, told WBTV. "And he ended up being the one that's where he is now."
"We do consider him a hero," MaKeesharia Tobias of the Chester Police Department told the Huffington Post. "To find out that was something heroic he did to save others is amazing to us."
"He knew to look out for her," his mother, Elizaberth McCrorey, told the Rock Hill Herald.
La'Darious was buried Thursday in South Carolina. His funeral, at Browns Chapel AME Zion Church, "was so full people had to stand outside to try to listen to the greatness of a child," according to the State.
The newspaper reported:
"The six brothers and sisters of La'Darious came to the funeral wearing white T-shirts emblazoned with La'Darious' picture. His sister he saved, Sha'Vonta, was right in the front going up the steps as all held hands.
"The kids talked about how La'Darious loved to play sports, and how he loved school, and how he loved to dance. Sha'Vonta takes dance classes, ballet and tap and jazz, twice a week in Rock Hill. She will continue to dance and dream because her brother lunged and pushed her to safety."
Witnesses saw what happened at the school bus stop on the morning of the accident, La'Darious' cousin, Kimberly Robinson, told the Huffington Post. The car was heading toward the children, Robinson said, and La'Darious acted.
"His little sister was standing at the bus stop when the car came," Robinson said. "He pushed her out of the way, but he was unable to move in time. The impact of the car threw him but, my God, I can't talk about that."
La'Darious's principal said on the Chester County School District's Facebook page that the 11-year-old loved to ride his bike and play football. He performed "backward flips" at talent shows and was an eager student, wrote Tammy Graham, principal of Chester Park Center of Literacy through Technology.
"He was greatly loved by everyone who knew him," Graham wrote. "He was a great student, classmate and friend. His infectious smile will forever be remembered."
Fifty-seven-year-old Michelle Johnson has been charged in the incident and released on bond, police said. The crash remains under investigation.
It was unclear whether Johnson already has an attorney.
"La'Darious loved his family," Robinson, his cousin, told the Huffington Post. "He was the apple of his momma's eye."
The State reported Thursday that a group plans to rally at a Chester City Council meeting Monday to have a park named for La'Darious.
"This young man is a real-life hero," Michael Halsey of the Joshua Lodge civic group told the newspaper. "He saved his sister before himself. La'Darious shows the best of all of us, and he should be honored."
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