RAGE IN TOT’S DEATH
Calls for driver to ‘pay’ in tragic B’klyn mowdown
Hundreds of outraged friends and family members of a 4-year-old girl fatally struck by an SUV gathered Tuesday outside the Brooklyn laundromat where she was hit to mourn her loss and demand accountability.
The visibly shaken mother of little Luz Gonzalez, Renya Candia, was embraced by loved ones and strangers alike as she returned to the scene where her life changed forever Sunday afternoon.
Cops say the motorist was unaware she had run Luz over, and she has not been charged.
“I just want justice,” was all the heartbroken mother managed to tell reporters.
“If this was a small animal you would feel remorse, imagine how it feels when it happens to a 4-year-old,” Luz's dad Juan Gonzalez said, speaking in Spanish. “And even more when it happens to your own daughter. She's my blood.”
Colorful flowers were laid beside candles and a photo of Luz at the entrance to the Bushwick laundromat.
Two bouquets of white carnations were placed in the shape of a cross on the spot where the driver hit the girl, the youngest of five children, and injured her mother.
Signs asking for donations for the family were posted, directing people to a Key Food supermarket across the street, which is organizing the donations.
The family is hoping to lay Luz to rest in their native Guerrero, Mexico.
Residents began chanting, “We want justice,” prompting the grieving mother to raise her head for a second.
Many of those in attendance called on the city's Latino communities to come together to support the family.
“We're all the same. We're Hispanic. We're Latino — we're united,” said Zayda Moreno, 79.
“I'm here because I'm a mother — I'm a grandmother and I know how difficult this can be for somebody,” said Assemblywoman Maritza Davila.
“I'm just here to let (Candia) know we're working really hard to get the Police Department's attention and to also get the mayor's attention … to make sure that this will never happen again in this spot. We all see it, everybody that comes to wash clothing at this spot sees that there is an immediate danger.”
Davila said authorities are still investigating the incident.
“I just spoke to the chief of police. It's an ongoing investigation. It doesn't mean that it's over just because (the driver) is not behind bars,” Davila added.
“This isn't OK, what this woman did,” the child's aunt, Elviria Moreno, said. “She should show her face and pay for what she's done.”
Meanwhile, video emerged Tuesday that shows Luz getting hit by an 2018 Nissan Rogue SUV outside Bushwick's Heaven Scent Laundry on Hart St. near Wyckoff Ave.
The footage shows Luz walking with her mother and losing a shoe. As the two bend over, the black SUV rolls down the sidewalk after pulling out of a parking spot, strikes the little girl and keeps going.
Residents of the community who saw the video reacted angrily to the horrifying images.
“She murdered that child and then kept going,” said Monica Cabrera, 35, as she watched video of the accident on someone's phone. “They let her go — she's on the loose.”
The girl's mother previously demanded motorist Jeanette Maria, 38, “pay” for what she did, and was shocked she hadn't been charged.
“She had to know,” said Candia.
Earlier Tuesday, inspectors with the Department of Buildings appeared at the scene to take pictures of the parking area, where vehicles leaving the location appear to have to drive on the sidewalk to exit.
Officials said three 311 complaints were received Monday about the parking lot, spurring the opening of a probe to determine whether it's legal and compliant with building and zoning codes.The agency may issue violations to the owner of the lot.
Before Monday morning, the Buildings Department had not received any complaints related to this property, an official said.
A sign outside the laundromat written in Spanish reads: “Justice for the little girl, Luz Gonzalez. The woman who killed her is free. Let's not leave the death of a girl of only 4 years old unpunished. Let us join our voices so that the guilty pay for the life that was lost.”
“The lady that was driving did not stop ... We just want justice, the community wants justice,” Luz's dad said.