The victim’s daughter Delky Strickling said the family is learning to forgive and just wants the person to come forward.
SAN ANTONIO — A grandfather who went to pay a bill never made it home. San Antonio police said Joseph Smothers was killed in a hit-and-run. Investigators are still looking for the driver and believe they were in a 2020 Toyota Tacoma.
The victim’s daughter Delky Strickling said the family is learning to forgive and just wants the person to come forward. She said her father was a man of great faith.
“He always had his Bible with him, because he was always ready to help somebody that was down,” she said. “He would smile through hard times, and smile through the good times too.”
Sept. 7, 2024, police said Smothers was hit by a driver off Fredericksburg road near Oaklawn Drive.
The family said Smothers went to pay a bill and was waiting on the bus, when he was hit by a truck. Police said the 72-year-old was outside of the marked crosswalk when he was hit. Investigators say the driver of a Toyota Tacoma didn’t stop.
“What were you doing,” she said. “Did you not see him. Why did you keep going, all the time has passed why haven’t you come forward.”
Smothers was a minister and moved to San Antonio after Hurricane Katrina. The family said he was hit by different cars. He was just two miles away from home.
“He was already down,” the daughter said. “They just saw flip flops, and then it happened, immediately that person stopped and called police.
For the last five months, the family has been holding on to one another.
“It just feels like a piece of you just snatched away like torn out,” she said.
The family said they have faith one day they will get their answers.
“We will never stop giving up hope,” the daughter said. “We will never stop believing and praying.”
Investigators said officers found parts of the truck the night of the crash, and that’s why investigators believe it is a 2020 Toyota Tacoma. Crime Stoppers is offering a reward in this case, if you know anything call 210-224-7867.