Family Holds Vigil For Skateboarder Killed By Hit-And-Run Driver
NORWALK (CBSLA.com) — A vigil was held Saturday evening in memory of a 20-year-old man who was killed by a hit-and-run driver in Norwalk last month.
Daniel Ortiz was skateboarding to his mother's home around 4 a.m. on Feb. 9, when he was fatally struck by a 2003-2006 dark metallic blue Nissan Titan.
Family members gathered at Foster and Studebaker roads -- the intersection where the deadly accident occurred.
"He was a jokester like everyone says. Just a fun loving guy and he liked everybody and everybody liked him," Sherrie Ortiz, the victim's mother, said.
Relatives told KCAL9's Rachel Kim that Ortiz was struck just hundreds of feet from a hospital.
"The hospital is just right there. Whoever hit him ... they could have stopped and called 911," his mother said.
"He laid there for over 30 minutes. Still had a pulse at 4:40 a.m. He died at 4:41 a.m. He definitely did have a chance to live," said Joe Macias, the victim's brother.
Norwalk sheriff's investigators said a passerby finally noticed Ortiz's body and called for help.
Ortiz's family is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the driver.
Anyone with information on the hit-and-run is encouraged to contact the Norwalk Sheriff's Station.
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