Florida Memorial University campus mourns death of 2 students killed in Miami Gardens hit-and-run crash
MIAMI - Two South Florida college students died after they were hit by a car late Sunday night in Miami Gardens.
The crash happened just after 11:30 p.m. in the 16300 block of NW 42nd Avenue.
A source told CBS4 that both victims were 19 years old.
Relatives identified one of the victims as Asiayanna Green.
A 35-year-old male believed to have been behind the wheel has been taken into custody but it was not immediately clear what charges he could face. As of Monday evening, his identity was pending.
Police say the the women were walking southbound on NW 42nd Avenue around 11:30 p.m. Sunday when they were struck by a silver Infiniti at NW 163rd Street.
The victims' sandals remained on the road not far from where their bodies were found and the car recovered Monday.
Ring cam video from a neighbor's house shows a car speeding southbound on Lejeune Road after the accident.
Police say the driver took off on foot but was arrested a short time later. A source told CBS4 that he tried to enter someone's property and shots were fired.
Both women were first year students at Florida Memorial University.
Lisa Walker, Green's aunt, told CBS4's Peter D'Oench: "She was very excited to come here. She was humble girl and very respectful. She accomplished half of her dream when she came here from Lake City, South Carolina. She said she wanted to come here and she got here."
Walker said she also has questions about what happened.
"I wasn't aware the kids were walking back and forth to the store," she said. "I mean this is new. They are college students."
"It's sad," another family member said. "Her life was taken that quick over nothing. It's just hard as a family and we just received the news. It's very devastating. We have two lives -- no, three lives lost. The driver and the two girls. For everyone this is extremely hard."
Freshman Randy Meran said he saw the two victims Sunday night while they were watching the Super Bowl.
"We were with both of them and then there was the unexpected. We were just watching the Super Bowl," he said. "And they split. And after a few minutes, everything unraveled. We are family and we lean on each other. We cover each other's backs."
The school said grief counselors are available for students who need their help.
There were emotional moments on campus at noon Monday as the bells tolled at the university's clock tower and more than 100 students and faculty members held hands and embraced.
Some of them cried during a group prayer for the victims and their families.
"When we have a difficult situation, we are family and as family we are supposed to come together and embrace each other," said school President Dr. Jaffus Hardrick. "Our hearts go out to each other and we encourage everyone to be there for each other and continue to pray for each other."