The Two Seconds He Will Never Forget

D.C. Police Report Helps Shed Light on Car Accident That Killed Man's Children

In his mind's slow-motion replay, Christopher Suydan grips the hands of his young son and daughter as they begin crossing the street that sunny weekend day in Northeast Washington.

The walk signal is flashing, and traffic is stopped. Halfway across the intersection, the father feels safe enough to let go, and the children hustle ahead of him. Then, a hurtling Honda bursts into view. The car plows into his daughter and son with such force that it knocks them out of their small shoes. Octavia, 8, and Christopher Jr., 7, are killed almost instantly.

"I have spent a lot of time thinking about those two seconds and how those two seconds made all of the difference," Suydan said in a recent interview, his first since the Sept. 11 accident that generated a community outcry.

"Time just kind of froze and stood still because, I guess, I was trying to figure out what was going on and what had happened," the father said. "Then I went over to my kids. I didn't want to move them. I just looked at both of them in the eyes, and I knew they were gone."

The Honda's driver, Eric Palmer, 19, of Northeast was fleeing a police drug sting at speeds of up to 80 mph moments before he hit the children. Palmer has been jailed since his arrest. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder charges and is to be sentenced Friday.

After the crash, several witnesses questioned whether police were tailing Palmer closely and contributed to the accident. Police officials said they cut off the pursuit before the accident.

In a recently issued 57-page report, the police department's internal affairs unit found no fault with the officers' conduct. The Washington Post obtained a copy of the report and interviewed Suydan, police officers and bystanders for the most complete account yet of what happened that Saturday.

The entire episode lasted about 30 seconds and covered 10 residential blocks filled with cars and pedestrians, including the two young Suydan children and their father crossing a busy street.

For Suydan, the day started about 10 a.m., when the 36-year-old father picked up his children at their mother's house in Temple Hills. A telecommunications technician, he planned to take them to a company picnic in Howard County. Suydan and the children's mother, Towhanna Boston, had separated four years earlier. Octavia, known as Tavi, and Christopher Jr., or C.J., played together constantly and were excited about the weekend outing. Christopher told his mother that he was going to eat lots of juicy shrimp and bring her some, too.

But first, Suydan had a few errands. He picked up some cash at a buddy's house and went to a car repair shop in the 1200 block of Florida Avenue NE to fix a flat tire on his Ford Taurus. He didn't want to drive to the picnic on his spare.

By then, it was just before noon, and the children were hungry. Suydan decided to get chips and juice at a store on the other side of Florida Avenue. He and the children waited at the intersection of Florida and Montello avenues for traffic to stop and the walk signal to begin flashing.

"I was thinking this was going to be another great day," Suydan said. "It was just a nice day."