A North Carolina 7-year-old was hit and killed by a car. His parents were arrested before they could grieve.

Samuele Jenkins and Jessica Ivey were arrested days after their son was hit by a car. They were charged with involuntary manslaughter and multiple counts of child abuse.

GASTONIA, N.C. — Samuele Jenkins puts on a stoic front during his days at the Gaston County Jail.

“In here, I can’t show weakness, so I can’t be crying,” he said.

That’s during the day. At night, he wakes up in tears, tortured by the death of his 7-year-old son, Legend, who was struck and killed when he stepped into a road on May 27.

Jenkins and his wife, Jessica Ivey, were arrested two days later and charged with involuntary manslaughter and multiple counts of child abuse. Their alleged crime: allowing their 10- and 7-year-old children to walk home, two blocks away, without an adult, leading to the younger child’s death.

Samuele Jenkins and Jessica Ivey; Samuele with Legend.Courtesy Renea JenkinsEach parent was initially held on a $1.5 million bond before it was reduced to $150,000.