An 18-month-old boy who died after he was struck by a vehicle in a Waterloo parking lot Sunday evening has been identified by his family as Mohammed Abdalla.

"We shared a birthday," his 17-year-old sister Ramla Abdalla said Monday. Her brother was the youngest of 12 children.

Ramla Abdalla, right, shared a birthday with her younger brother, Mohammed. Mohammed Abdalla died Sunday after he was hit by an SUV in the parking lot of his housing complex. (Colin Butler/CBC News) "He was really well liked and so cute. He would just laugh and scream and barely cry. He would always play out here," she said.

Police said the little boy was hit by the vehicle at 7 p.m. Sunday in a parking lot of a housing complex on Amos Avenue in Waterloo. The child sustained life threatening injuries and was rushed to hospital, but died.

'He was just sitting there'

The spot where the little boy died has become a makeshift shrine, with family, friends and neighbours leaving flowers and notes in the parking lot about 40 feet from the townhouse unit his family has lived in since they came to Waterloo from Montreal 12 years ago.

Ramla Abdalla was at a friend's birthday when she got a call from her parents about her brother being hit by a car and she rushed straight to the hospital.

Flowers and notes were left near the spot where Mohammad was hit by the SUV Sunday evening. (Colin Butler/CBC News) She said it's common for children in the Waterloo Region Community Housing complex to play along the stretch of sidewalk that rims the small parking lot.

"He was just sitting right over there," she said. "They all just play there. Usually when you come out of the parking lot, you honk a little bit so all the kids move. That's what everyone does, he was just speeding."

"I don't know how you don't see him, he was just sitting there."

SUV driver charged

A 49-year-old Waterloo man has been charged with criminal negligence causing death. He was alone in his Infinity SUV at the time and was not physically injured.

Police said at the time, there was a large group of children playing and the 18-month-old boy was with his siblings and other children.

"The male had just backed his car out of his parking spot and was attempting to leave the parking lot area. He saw the children playing in the vicinity but he did not see the 18-month-old who was out in the parking lot," Staff Sgt. Jim Strand told CBC News.

On Monday, the siblings and cousins of the 18-month-old look at a makeshift memorial for the toddler who died after being hit by a car in a Waterloo housing complex parking lot Sunday evening. Neighbours are also planning a vigil for the boy. (Colin Butler/CBC News) Drugs and alcohol are not considered factors in the collision, Strand said, but speed and inattentiveness may have been.

"The big message here is for drivers to be aware of their surroundings, expect children to be around and assume they don't see you. If you have to honk the horn to get their attention then do so," Strand said.

Police are asking anyone who may have witnessed the boy being hit to call 519-653-7700 extension 8856 or Crime Stoppers.