Loved ones are calling for justice and help finding the driver who struck and killed a man in Fairfax County last month.
James Johnson, 63, was walking through the Creekside Village apartment complex, just along Janna Lee Avenue, when he was hit on March 10.
A memorial filled with flowers, balloons and candles now sits steps away from where he lost his life. On Saturday, Johnson’s family gathered there to honor and celebrate him with a candlelit vigil.
“I try to look at all the positive things and the times that we spent together,” Sharon Gbenoba, the victim’s sister, said. “He was the kind of person that would help you if you needed it. He’d give you the shirt off his back. He was a kind and loving man.”
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Investigators said an officer saw the driver of a stolen black 2015 Hyundai Sonata, who was trying to evade police, speeding down Janna Lee Avenue towards a dead end. The driver sideswiped a car and then plowed into Johnson, before finally crashing into a dumpster. The force of the impact shoved the dumpster and a car parked next to it nearly 20 feet.
The driver got out, and witnesses said he ran in between the apartment buildings.
Police arrived and immediately began CPR. Johnson was taken to the hospital, where he died.
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Police canvassed the area to try and find the driver but were unsuccessful.
“I want to put closure. I want to know that the person that did this to my brother is arrested, and taken care of,” Gbenoba said. “Even that person, my heart goes out to them too, because that’s a horrible thing to have to live with.”
Johnson’s sister said one of the driving forces for the vigil is to keep her brother’s case top of mind as she and her family seek justice for their loved one.
“I still grieve, of course. I’m still grieving, and I don’t think anybody should have to endure this,” Gbenoba said.
Anyone with information should call the Fairfax County Police Department.