Carter was rushed to a local hospital, where she later died.
The victim's friends said they witnessed the accident.
"She was coming to the store to meet us, and she crossed the street, and somebody hit her," one woman said.
Friends set up a memorial of candles and cards to remember Carter, writing kind words about the longtime South Los Angeles resident.
"Everybody loved her. We all cared about her," said Brenda Westbrook, a friend. "We all grew up together. We were little girls, we were born over here, we've been over here all our lives."
Police need the public's help finding the driver. Anyone with information was urged to call the LAPD at (877) LAPD-24-7.
