7-Year-Old Boy Fatally Struck By Lighting While Playing Under Tree

A 7-year-old boy in Tennessee was struck and killed by lightning while playing under a tree and his community has responded to the tragedy by supporting the child’s family.

The boy died on Monday afternoon near his home in McKenzie, Tennessee, when a lightning strike hit him while he played outside. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His death was ruled an accident by the Weakley County Medical Examiner’s office, police said.

"There were two or three kids playing outside under a tree," Capt. Randall McGowan of the Weakley County Sheriff’s Department told PEOPLE. "The lightning hit the tree and killed him."

The boy’s name has not been reported, however, family and friends identified the child as Levi Yoder, according to FOX 13. He had spent Monday morning helping his father make repairs to their horse carriage and later helped his mother clean fruit, relatives said.

The boy’s family said they heard a loud clap of thunder around 3:30 p.m. before they found the child dead. The lightning also hit the tree, tore its bark off, and left a small hole in the ground. The strike was so intense that it burned Yoder’s clothes to pieces, his family said.

In the wake of the child’s death, the community, which is Amish, has come together in support of the boy’s family, according to the Jackson Sun. "We believe children [who die] are assured a place in heaven," a family friend told the news outlet. "We’re all helping to do whatever needs to be done."

Bri Howard, a mother of five who lives near the Yoder family, told the station that her heart goes out to the boy’s family. "I just pray for his family and tell them to keep their heads up. I am sorry that it happened," Howard said.

"It touched me. Anytime a life is lost it is a sad thing whether it is your child or not," said Dale Teague, a father of two who also lives near the Yoder family.

The child will be buried at the McKenzie Amish cemetery on Thursday.