Cops say teens who skipped school stole a car and killed a woman in hit-and-run

Luther Vandross was outed as gay after his death.

What started out as a joyride in a stolen car ended in the murder of a beloved grandmother, according to Camden police.  New details have emerged about a tragic hit and run that occurred in April, and two teenagers are to blame.

Police say a 16-year-old and another teen reportedly slipped out of Camden High School in the early morning, unnoticed by security guards.  When they spotted an unlocked silver Cadillac, they hopped in for a ride.

–6-year-old boy killed in Harlem hit and run; street crossing guard was allegedly on break

The car was reported stolen part of the way through the joyride and a police officer began to follow them, at which point the 16-year-old driver suddenly accelerated.  Crossing the street at the same time was 53-year-old Tia Walker, who had just finished visiting an elderly relative to clean their home.

Police say the teens abandoned the car at a median and then fled the scene. At least one of them then returned to school after the incident.

–Mother reportedly pulls son out of school to rob bank

Walker’s family desperately sought answers and posted a cash reward to find the perpetrators.

Now the 16-year-old driver has since been charged with first-degree aggravated manslaughter, though it is not immediately clear whether or not the other teen will face charges.

Tia Walker was well known in the community and previously worked as a daycare aide and maintenance worker.  She had two children and three grandchildren.

“I don’t know what’s worse: that we had to bury our sister or that these perpetrators were children,” said Walker’s brother, Brother Minister Wasim Muhammad in an interview with Philly.com. “I just don’t know which is the greater tragedy.”

“These are misguided young people,” he said. “It’s just a fact that it wasn’t intentional. They weren’t targeting my sister.”

–23-year-old gets 3 consecutive life sentences for fatal car crash

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