SEATTLE — Brothers Brien and Aaron Wood are grieving the loss of their aunt, Bari Hill, while at the same time are angry that the person who killed her is still out there.
“It was very surreal, super shocking and I’m very sad for my cousins and my mom especially,” Aaron Wood said.
Sunday afternoon, around 4:45 p.m., their aunt Bari Hill was crossing East Madison Street at 22nd Avenue and was hit by a car. The driver did not stop.
“All that we really know is that she was struck walking across the crosswalk and that the driver kept going,” Brien Wood said.
Hill was taken to Harborview Medical Center where she died. She was 80 years old.
“I would say she was full of love, laughter and that she would dance anywhere anytime,” Brien Wood said.
“They did everything they could to keep her alive until we got there to say goodbye,” Aaron Wood continued.
The Wood family is in mourning while at the same time taking matters into their own hands. Less than 24 hours after her death they’re walking the block where the accident happened – soliciting any leads that may lead to an arrest.
“Just having them either come forward or be identified and having some acknowledgment of the pain that we are all in would be really helpful to all of us,” Aaron Wood said.
“The worst part is losing someone who is so close to us, the mystery I think does make it a lot worse because there is this big open space and there isn’t closure,” he continued.
Seattle Police say their detectives are working the case as well – calling on the public for any information as the family says they’re convinced there’s a driver out there somewhere who knows they’ve killed someone – and they want that person to come forward.
“It’s very shocking to lose someone to this type of violence – than to just lose someone to old age or a sickness. It’s a very different feeling it is sickening,” Brien Wood said.
Seattle police say that several witnesses called 911 and that an off-duty police officer was nearby and responded.