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A celebration week turned to mourning: Daughter remembers life of father killed while walking home
2021-11-26 00:00:00.0     华盛顿邮报-华盛顿特区     原网页

       For Roy Saravia Alvarez’s family, it was supposed to be a week of celebration.

       His wife, daughters, son and extended family were looking forward to the patriarch’s 47th birthday on Nov. 16. Saravia Alvarez’s 18-year-old daughter, Odali Saravia Castro, said she was going to wake him up with a cake and put on his “happy birthday song.”

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       “What I had to do was put candles on a photo on a cross where he unfortunately passed away and let go of balloons and cry,” Saravia Castro said, describing the community vigil her family held for her father at the scene of a fatal car crash.

       On the night of Nov. 13, Saravia Alvarez was fatally struck in Alexandria as he was walking home from the store, his family said. The man accused of hitting him with a truck was identified by Alexandria police as Fredy Ortiz-Dominguez, 45, of Hyattsville, Md. Ortiz-Dominguez is charged with involuntary manslaughter, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, Alexandria Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter said.

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       Saravia Castro described seeing surveillance video of the moment her father was killed in the 200 block of West Glebe Road. In the video, a driver in a white pickup truck made a wide turn, onto a curb, and hit Saravia Alvarez as he carried bags in his hand while walking on the sidewalk. In a separate video shared by Saravia Alvarez’s niece, an angle is shown of the truck moving back and forth while Saravia Alvarez is pinned underneath, causing smoke and leaving behind burned tire marks on the concrete ground. Saravia Alvarez was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

       “We couldn’t believe that my dad died that type of way and we couldn’t believe that he was gone,” Saravia Castro said.

       Patrick Anderson, a lawyer for Ortiz-Dominguez, said the crash was “not an intentional act” and declined to comment further.

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       Porter declined to comment on the videos, first reported by NBC4, or other evidence, citing the ongoing criminal case.

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       Saravia Castro said that Saturday night will “replay” in her head: her mother’s growing worry when her husband failed to arrive back home and later, a knock at their front door from police. Then the screams of her mother, who collapsed to the floor, mixed with her own cries.

       Police said Ortiz-Dominguez remained at the scene and had no injuries. A warrant for his arrest was announced five days later and Ortiz-Dominguez turned himself in to police, police said. A judge denied Ortiz-Dominguez bond and he is being held at the Alexandria Detention Center, Porter said.

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       Saravia Castro said the family is happy that Ortiz-Dominguez is “no longer walking free” and said they are left wondering if her father might have survived the initial crash had the driver sought help after jumping the curb.

       “It hurt me a lot … if he would have just stopped for a second and not kept on pushing down the pedal to drive, my dad would have been here with us. He would have been injured, but he would be here with us,” Saravia Castro said.

       Saravia Alvarez worked for a cleaning company and was a “loving and caring” person who always had a smile on his face, his daughter said. He loved to make people laugh with his jokes and “would find a way to get a smile” out of people, she said.

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       “He was full of love in his heart. He would give out love to anyone, no matter the skin color, no matter where you would come from,” Saravia Castro said. “If he saw a homeless person, he would give them money or food. Anything.”

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       Saravia Castro said her father wanted to be buried in his native Honduras, where his mother lives and is waiting for him “where he belongs.” The family is raising money to return his body there and having a funeral for him Friday.

       Police said the investigation is ongoing and ask anyone with information to contact the investigating officer, Officer Wes Vitale at 703-746-6178 or 703-746-4444. Tips can be anonymous.

       


标签:综合
关键词: extended family     Ortiz-Dominguez     police     father     Advertisement     Odali Saravia Castro     Alexandria     Alvarez    
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