Police identify pedestrian killed in a hit-and-run in Independence
Police have identified the pedestrian killed in a hit-and-run in a northeast Independence neighborhood Saturday night.
Officers responded just before 11:20 p.m. to the area of North M-291 Frontage Road and East 3rd Terrace Court North after reports of a person lying in the road, later identified as David Raines Jr., 41. The neighborhood in which Raines died is separated from 291 Highway by one street.
Police believe Raines was walking in the neighborhood when he was hit by a passing car, Independence Police Department spokesperson Jeff Buck previously said. Paramedics pronounced Raines dead at the scene; the vehicle fled and has not yet been identified.
Raines’ death is currently under investigation by the Accident Investigation Unit and has not been designated a homicide.
‘Everyone is devastated’
Raines’ stepmother, Lisa Hernandez, wrote on social media that Raines left behind a large, close-knit family.
“Everyone is devastated,” Hernandez wrote on Facebook, addressing Raines. “You were an amazing father to your girls, you didn’t deserve this.”
Relatives are asking those who live near the intersection, or may have been driving there Saturday evening, to check any residential camera or dashcam footage they may have access to or to come forward with any details about the fatal incident.
Our family is grieving and making plans to best honor him,” Raines’ sister MJ Green wrote on Facebook. “This tragedy was so unnecessary and unfair.”
A celebration of life and a GoFundMe
A celebration of life for Raines will take place on June 6. A GoFundMe page was established Sunday to offset the “emotional and financial challenges” of his passing.
“He brought warmth and joy to everyone around him, and his loss has left a huge hole in the lives of his family and friends,” Raines’ daughter Marissa Raines wrote on the fundraising page.
