13-year-old killed in fiery Massachusetts crash remembered as having “a heart of pure love”

The name of a 13-year-old victim in a fiery crash this weekend has been released.

According to the District Attorney’s Office, just before 2:45 a.m. on Saturday, Chicopee Police observed a motor vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed on Broadway Street in Chicopee.

Chicopee Police surveyed the vehicle onto Montgomery Street where a traffic stop was conducted. As a member of the Chicopee Police Department approached the vehicle it took off at a high rate of speed down Montgomery Street.

The patrol officer returned to the cruiser and began traveling in the last known direction of the vehicle on Montgomery Street.

The officer again spotted the vehicle when he was in the vicinity of the 1000 block of Montgomery Street. He observed the vehicle having struck the exterior wall of a residential home and ending up inside the residence. Both the vehicle and the home were engulfed in flames a short time later.

Inside the car there were four occupants, a driver and three passengers, ages 19, 18, 17, and 13. First responders were able to extricate three of the passengers from the vehicle and transport them to Bay State Medical Center for treatment of visible minor injuries. The fourth passenger was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The victim has been identified as Da’Vant Byrd, 13, of Holyoke.

A resident of the home, which was struck by the vehicle, was inside the room the vehicle crashed through. The resident was extricated from the crash and transported to Baystate Medical Center for treatment to sustained injuries. All other occupants of the home were able to exit safely before the structure was consumed by the fire.

Those who knew Da’Vant described him as an amazing boy who loved to sing, dance and had a heart of pure love and happiness.

According to MassLive, the brother of the injured resident of the home rescued his sybling and attempted to rescue Da’Vant, but the “fires were just too much”.

Da’Vant’s mother has started a GoFundMe fundraiser for funeral expenses.

The incident is under investigation by the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Hampden District Attorney’s Office, and the Hampden District Attorney’s Office’s Motor Vehicle Homicide Unit.