Compton family mourns loss of father killed in hit-and-run, calls for change at busy intersection

COMPTON, Calif. (KABC) -- A community in Compton came together Sunday to remember a man killed by a hit-and-run driver, and called for changes to be made at the intersection where he died.

Darnell Parker, 59, was on his bicycle at Alondra Boulevard and Bradfield Avenue when he was hit by a vehicle that fled the scene. The crash happened at about midnight Saturday.

Darnell Jr. received word at 3 a.m. that his father had been killed.

"I just want the person that did it just to come forward, you know. It's just - put it in God's hands, that's all," he said.

Loved ones lit candles and wrote messages on poster board. People who knew Darnell senior described him as generous.

"He was good in helping kids and feeding the homeless and all that. He was there for the people," said life-long friend Timothy Fortune.

Residents said many drivers go too fast at that intersection, and the light at Bradfield Avenue doesn't give people enough time to cross.

Sheriff's investigators have not yet determined how fast the suspect was going when Darnell was hit and left to die in the street.

"It's the disregard for human life when you're driving the vehicle under the influence, or whatever," Fortune said. "You have to have some reason to keep going."

Police did not immediately release information on the make and model of the vehicle the suspect was driving. Anyone with information was urged to contact the Compton Sheriff's Station.