Loved ones of a woman who was struck and killed by a Dallas police officer while responding to a call for help in Pleasant Grove said they are seeking answers and calling for change.
Dallas Police said on Monday evening, 20-year-old Aresly Jaramillo was standing in the median along the 8700 block of Elam Road just after 7 p.m. when she ran in front of two cars trying to make a left turn onto Cedarcliff Drive and then in front of the fast-moving eastbound police car.
Police said the officer was in a marked squad car responding to a call without the lights and sirens activated when the crash occurred near Crawford Memorial Park.
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The officer pulled over and gave the woman first aid until she was taken to a hospital. Police said she was listed in critical condition overnight and died sometime Tuesday morning.
No other injuries were reported in connection with the crash.
When Tabita Jasso told her daughter goodbye Monday night, she didn't know it would be the last time.
"I told her, 'I'll be back,'" said Jasso, Jamarillo's mother. I took off to the park. And I was already maybe like five, six, seven minutes down the road whenever I heard a crash."
Elam Road has six lanes, including turn lanes, and the Cedarcliff entrance lacks a marked crosswalk. The nearest marked intersection is half a mile away.
"It is very dangerous," Jasso said tearfully. "There is no signal. The City of Dallas should do something."
Dallas City Councilman Jaime Resendez, who represents the neighborhood, said that he's asked the city to evaluate whether crosswalks and other safety measures need to be installed.
"While we have implemented various traffic calming measures in different parts of southeast Dallas, it's clear that more needs to be done in this particular area," Resendez said Tuesday.
The investigation into the crash is ongoing. Dallas police did not reveal details about the call the officer was responding to or why the officer's lights and siren were not activated.
