'She was so dear to us:' 87-year-old grandmother fatally struck by suspected drunk driver in Sylmar
Aurora Reynozo was hit as she was getting out of a parked car after coming home from bible study.
SYLMAR, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A beloved grandmother described as the heart and soul of her family was killed Thursday night when a suspected drunk driver struck her as she was getting out of a parked vehicle in Sylmar.
It happened along Foothill Boulevard near Polk Street.
The family of 87-year-old Aurora Reynozo told Eyewitness News she and a friend had just returned from a bible study session when the suspect, identified by police as Juan Martinez, struck the grandmother as she was getting out of the car.
"She flew out the window and hit her head in the concrete and immediately started bleeding from her face, from her head ... it was definitely tragic," said the victim's granddaughter Felicia Reynozo.
The other woman in the vehicle was a close friend of the victim and suffered minor injuries, according to authorities.
"She has to live with replaying this over and over, and my heart goes out to her as well," said Felicia.
The family said the beloved matriarch lived a full life and was a strong believer of God.
"I had friends that would call her grandmother," said Felicia. "She was the person that would raise other people's children. She would feed you. It didn't matter what you did, who you were, she would treat you like royalty."
Now, a growing memorial sits at the site of the collision, where family members can stop by and grieve as one.
"She was so dear to us," said Felicia. "People were crying, some people were in shock ... we're numb. It's just been a lot. It just hurts because she brought everybody together."
Martinez has since been arrested and charged with murder. He's being held on $2 million bail. Though the pain of their new reality won't go away any time soon, one family member said the family forgives Martinez, no matter how difficult it is.
"We forgive the guy who did this because he also lost a lot," said the family member. "Who knows if he has a father or if he has kids? This day and age ... he could have called an Uber. So simple ... but we forgive him. We believe in God and we don't hold grudges."
The family has created a GoFundMe to help raise money for funeral expenses.
