Sixteen-year-old Kimberly Natasha Jones, a student of the Fort Wellington Secondary School and of Lot 63 No 22 Bel Air West Coast Berbice (WCB), was killed on Tuesday evening in a suspected hit-and-run accident along the Number 22 Village Public Road, WCB.
Dead: Kimberly Natasha Jones
Family members said Jones had recently completed her Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations. On Tuesday, she was returning home from Rosignol when the incident occurred around 21:00.
One relative explained that he went to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), and while returning home, he noticed a large crowd on the road and stopped to find out what had happened. Upon making enquiries, he was informed that it was Jones who had been struck down.
He said she was picked up and rushed to the Fort Wellington Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead. According to the family, the driver of the vehicle, after hitting the teen, fled the scene but was later arrested.
“I went to the hospital, and while there, 10 minutes after she was pronounced dead. They took information from me concerning the name of the person and the address. We later got an update that the police in Mahaicony had gotten hold of the guy who was driving the car. So, they brought him back to Fort Wellington. We went to Fort Wellington,” the relative said.
“…they only wanted one person to be in there… They did not give us any information because they said they didn’t want us to go and beat up the people’s family.”
Jones lived at Number 22 Village with her sister and brother-in-law. The family member stated that she is the youngest of four children and had moved in with her sister after her mother died some five years ago.
Relatives are now trying to obtain surveillance footage from nearby locations to piece together what occurred.
“The family is devastated. Her sisters are taking it very hard.” They said.
Jones was remembered as a bubbly and friendly girl who got along well with others. “She was very interactive, very jovial,” the relative said. “Always helpful, always smiling.”
“We just need answers,” the relative said.
Meanwhile, up until press time on Wednesday, police have not released a statement on the accident.
