A year has passed since the tragic hit-and-run incident on Cleveland Avenue claimed the life of 9-year-old Jamal Dean. The Atlanta Police Department has released a new photograph of the suspect, Tomasa Mendoza, who is believed to have been driving the red Toyota Tundra involved in the accident. This development comes in the wake of authorities tirelessly searching for leads to bring the suspect to justice, as reported by FOX 5 Atlanta.
Christopher Dean, Jamal's father, has been haunted by the memory of the day he lost his son. "It’s been a year, man, but I think about it every day," Dean told FOX 5. Jamal, a student at Hawthorne Elementary School and an energetic basketball player, was heading to practice at Rosel Fann Recreation Center when he was struck by the vehicle.
The Atlanta Police Department identified driver of the pickup truck as 58-year-old Tomasa Mendoza. The police hope that the dissemination of her photograph will generate tips that could assist in her apprehension. Mendoza stands charged with homicide by vehicle, which holds her accountable for the irreversible harm inflicted upon Jamal and those who cherished him. Witnesses at the time described the driver's actions as stark cowardice. "A coward, just left him, didn’t even want to stop to render aid or anything and just left. And in my eyes, you’re a coward, plain and simple," said witness Aaron McGruber in a statement covered by Atlanta News First.
A $10,000 reward is still on the table for information leading to Mendoza's arrest. Anyone with knowledge of her whereabouts or details about the incident is encouraged to step forward and contact Crime Stoppers Atlanta at (404) 577-8477. "I just want her to have to answer questions (and) be accountable for the actions that she did because her actions changed the lives of many…it really did, and I want her to know that," Dean expressed, his words a mirror to a father's relentless quest for closure and justice for young Jamal.
