SANTA MONICA, Calif. (KABC) — Family members got here collectively Saturday to mourn an 85-year-old Military veteran who was killed in a hit-and-run crash in Santa Monica.
A memorial was held on the Lighthouse Church, simply blocks away from the place a driver struck Judy Mershon.
“Judy didn’t carry a grudge. If an individual wronged her after which requested her for forgiveness, she would forgive them,” pal Glenn McDonald stated. “I’m sure that if the driving force of the automotive that struck her might ask her for forgiveness, she would grant it.”
The crash occurred round 6:40 p.m. Dec. 22 on the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Chelsea Avenue, in accordance with Santa Monica police.
“The pace that man was going, it took her from one facet of Chelsea to the opposite, hurled her off the automotive and right into a curb and killed her,” McDonald stated.
On Dec. 27, police arrested 30-year-old Rod Sharif. Investigators used surveillance video to trace down the suspect and picked up a number of gadgets of proof after they searched his dwelling, together with a white Toyota Rav4 that had important front-end harm, police stated.
Sharif was booked on suspicion of homicide and felony hit-and-run. Police stated he has prior arrests for driving beneath the affect and reckless driving.
Mates on the memorial say Mershon battled dementia and was strolling to church the night time she was killed. They consider the intersection might use extra lights with a crosswalk sign.
“She cherished individuals, she affirmed individuals. She was very variety and beneficiant,” pal Eva Quezada stated.
Mershon is being remembered for serving as a secretary in the course of the Vietnam Warfare, enjoying the piano, her religion and humorousness.
“We have been having a extremely good time, and I teased her a bit and it received to her and he or she stood up and took her Bible and smacked me on the top with it, and I’ll all the time keep in mind that,” Katelyn Gaeta stated as she reminisced. “It was all in good enjoyable, it was in good jest. However she was not afraid to be just a little spicy.”
“We’re actually going to overlook her. It hit us actually laborious,” Gaeta added. “We’re completely happy for her as a result of we all know the place she is. We all know that she is with Jesus. We all know that she is with God.”
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