Family Mourns 22-Year-Old Killed In Early Morning Hit-And-Run
LANCASTER (CBSLA) -- A 22-year-old man was killed early Saturday morning by a hit-and-run driver in downtown Lancaster.
Rodney Tyrone Richard's family gathered this evening and held a candlelight vigil in his honor.
They also asked the suspect to turn him or herself in.
The crash happened on Lancaster Boulevard near Elm Avenue. And it was caught on surveillance video.
KCAL9's Chris Holmstrom spoke to the devastated victim's family.
"He loved people, all ethnicities," said his mother.
She struggled to hold back tears as she talked about her son.
"I went to the hospital and the doctor said they did everything they could do for my son," she said.
Surveillance video shows what happened. It was around 2 a.m. on Saturday. You see Rodney go into the middle of the street. As he puts his hands up the driver of the white truck slams right into him.
"He didn't move once he hit the ground, he didn't move at all," said Jason Sanchez, a witness.
"He says Richard was intoxicated and had just been kicked out of a lounge nearby.
"I guess he got into a fight with security there and came up to the bar had a bottle of alcohol in his hand they told him he had to leave the property and that's when he went across the street," Sanchez says.
Deputies say the driver of the white truck was going well over the posted 15 mile per hour speed limit when Richard was ht. They go on to say the driver then stopped but then took off.
The family is using prayer for support and candles and balloons to remember him.
"I just want my baby to know I love him, and I'll see him again," said Richards' mother.
And one of Richards; sisters had these words for whoever killed him.
"You come and you admit to what you done. Because you just caused a bad scene, you broke my mom's heart. You broke her heart."
Detectives say the suspect was driving a white Dodge or Chevrolet.
The family has set up a GoFundMe account to help pay for funeral expenses.
