Family In Mourning; San Jose Hit-And-Run Victims Identified; Suspect Remains At Large
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) -- The mother and daughter killed last week by a hit-and-run driver while crossing Ocala Avenue in San Jose were identified Tuesday by the coroner's office as 77-year-old Narinder Kaur and 53-year-old Kuljit Kaur.
Meanwhile, the search for the man behind the wheel of the red truck continued. Investigators have not said if any leads to the man's identity have been generated since the release last Friday of surveillance photos of the driver and the truck.
Officers responded to a reports of pedestrians being struck in the area of Ocala Avenue and Oakton Court at approximately 6:26 p.m. Thursday.
The preliminary investigation has revealed that a red pick-up truck was traveling westbound on Ocala Avenue in the No. 1 lane when it struck the Kaurs, who were crossing the street in a marked crosswalk.
Immediately after the collision the driver fled the scene and was last seen traveling northbound on Capitol Expressway.
Both Narinder Kaur and Kuljit Kaur were transported to local hospitals with major injuries. Shortly after arriving, they both died of their injuries.
"This is a very, very tragic situation," SJPD PIO Sgt. Christian Camarillo told reporters. "The victims knew each other. They were related somehow. Another family mourning this weekend, the loss of two loved ones."
Camarillo knows the area well, he was a patrol officer assigned there earlier in his career.
"There is no traffic signal at that intersection," he said. "It just a standard crosswalk...It's a pretty busy area. There is a school right near that crosswalk...6:26 p.m. A lot of traffic. Commute time."
San Jose police hope the photos will bring in leads to solve the case.
"Locating the vehicle is one thing, but we also want to find out who was driving it," he said. "This person is responsible for the deaths of two people. They were in the crosswalk. Not only did he strike them, he fled. It was a male driver...We really want to find this person, arrest him and see justice done for these victims."
Camarillo said investigators do not believe that the driver drove away without being aware he had hit someone.
"At that time of day, it was 6:26 p.m. It was daylight. He hit two people. It would be hard to believe that he didn't know he hit someone," Camarillo said. "Yes, there should be front end damage. Either on the grill or windshield."
KPIX has learned the Kaurs family home was about half a block from the crash scene. Their deaths were the 13th and 14th pedestrian fatalities of the year in San Jose. It was also the seventh fatal hit-and-run in the city this year.
Anyone with information on this investigation is urged to contact Detective O'brien #3527 of the San José Police Department's Traffic Investigations Unit at 408-277-4654.
