A family from Guinea is desperately searching for answers after their loved one was killed in a hit-and-run in downtown D.C. The driver of the car was fleeing from police.
Twenty-five-year-old Alpha Oumar Kake spent more than a month fighting for his life and died of his injuries last week.
The crash happened Aug. 31 at 15th and L streets NW near McPherson Square.
A body-worn camera video captured the moments when a D.C. police officer tried to pull over a Jeep with no headlights, but the driver took off.
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Police say that driver continued for about two blocks, drove into oncoming traffic and then ran a red light and hit Kake, who was on a moped.
According to his uncle, Kake was working as a food delivery driver to earn money for his family back home in Guinea.
Kake’s uncle, who speaks French and communicated with News4 via a translator, said his nephew was kind and friendly to everyone. The two lived together.
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Kake’s uncle said being at home is now a heartbreaking reminder that his nephew is gone. He said he hopes police find the hit-and-run driver who took off and that it isn’t for him to decide if the officer made the right calls that night.
As far as the D.C. police pursuit policy, it defines a pursuit or chase as going above the local speed limit and says officers cannot chase for only a traffic violation.
Police policy also says there are a number of other factors that have to be considered before a chase is allowed, such as whether the person committed a violent crime or poses an immediate threat, and if innocent bystanders would be put in danger by a chase.
Police say what happened is being reviewed by the U.S. attorney’s office, and there will be a D.C. police internal affairs investigation to determine if there were any unjustified actions, which would be referred for disciplinary action.
