Editor’s Note: The story has been updated to correct a misspelled name and a video was removed. We regret the error.
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – An Oklahoma family said their loved one was killed in a hit and run over the weekend, but the driver took off. Now, they’re hoping for some help to find out who did it.
“It’s so devastating,” Jean Hood said. The mother of Jenna Whitaker who was married for 12 years to the man killed on Saturday.
It’s been a difficult few days for Hood and Whitaker. Whitaker’s husband, 32-year-old Samuel Whitaker, was killed Saturday after he was hit by a dark colored truck around 5 o’clock in the morning near SW 59th Street and Douglas Avenue and the driver never stopped.
“How could someone do that to somebody and drive off and not see if they’re OK,” Hood said. “He was a good man at heart, he tried to protect my daughter with everything he had.”
Hood said Jean and Samuel were both homeless. They believe he was crossing the street to get coffee and cigarettes. Soon after the incident, Hood got the call from her daughter.
“She looked for hours screaming up and down the street, because they’re homeless trying to find him,” Hood said.
“I lost my voice,” Whitaker said.
They later learned he was at OU Health. He was pronounced dead almost 12 hours later.
“We got there within 10 minutes after they pronounced him dead,” Hood said.
The 32-year-old was just a few weeks away from his birthday. He was also going to be an organ donor, but Annhood said he can’t do that now due to the severity of the incident. Now, they can only wait on a police investigation. However, they are stuck with more questions than answers.
“They took my best friend from me before it was his time,” Whitaker said. “I just want the person caught who did it to my husband because he needs justice.”
Oklahoma City Police told KFOR the report is not finished yet. The family said they have only been told that he was hit by a dark colored truck.
If you have any information on the incident, give police a call.
