HUDSON, Fla. — A Pasco County family is demanding answers after their loved one was killed walking home from work along a busy Tampa Bay road.
Johnathan Gray, 21, was walking just after 6 p.m. June 4 on Little Road, north of New York Avenue.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a man driving a white Econoline van swerved onto the outside paved shoulder of the roadway, colliding into Gray with the vehicle's front right corner.
Gray went airborne and died shortly after arriving at Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point, in Hudson.
"He always had a smile for everybody, no matter what he was going through," said Gray's mother, Christina.
Christina Gray says her son was newly-engaged with a baby on the way. Family members remember Gray as someone who always provided stability and positive reinforcement.
“Anytime I felt down, 'you’re going to make it through this, everything’s going to be ok. We’re here for you,'" said Gray's sister, Jasmine.
Two months after the deadly crash, questions still remain about why the driver did not stop after the collision. According to an FHP report, the driver did eventually return to the scene.
"He hit, never stopped, never hit his brakes and then decided to come back to see what he hit," said Christina Gray. "To me, that’s a hit and run."
An FHP homicide investigation report confirms distracted driving was a factor.
Gray's family believes the man responsible deserves jail time.
"No parent should have to ever outlive their child," said Christina Gray. "Especially when he did not do anything wrong.”
ABC Action News did reach out to the driver, who we are not naming because charges have not been filed, but have yet to hear back.
