Hit-run driver kills Destiny Murrell in the West Village
Police said a driver who pulled from the far-left parking lane on Sixth Avenue dragged 22-year-old Destiny Murrell after she grabbed the driver's-side door, then left after she fell beneath the rear wheel near Washington Place.
Reported by press, not yet linked to NYC police crash records. This may change when new official records become available or when matching details are reviewed.
Location under review
What We Know
Police accounts reported by the press describe a fatal early-morning crash in the West Village. First-day stories said Murrell was crossing in a crosswalk near Sixth Avenue and West Washington Place when a driver in a gray vehicle, possibly an SUV, hit her and left. Later accounts from Daily News and News12 described a different sequence: a driver pulled from the far-left parking lane into northbound traffic, Murrell grabbed the driver's-side door, and she fell beneath the rear driver-side wheel in the intersection. Police identified her as a 22-year-old Brooklyn resident and said she died at Bellevue. No arrests had been reported.
Police reports described a fatal hit-and-run
First-day police accounts reported that a 22-year-old woman was in a crosswalk near Sixth Avenue and West Washington Place when a driver in a gray vehicle, possibly an SUV, hit her before dawn and left the area.
Two later reports said police described a different sequence: a driver tried to merge from the far-left parking lane on Sixth Avenue into northbound traffic as Destiny Murrell held the driver's-side door, then she fell beneath the rear driver-side wheel in the intersection.
Sixth Avenue and Washington Place
News reports place the crash at or near Sixth Avenue and West Washington Place in the West Village or Greenwich Village. Most accounts reported it happened just before or around 5 a.m. Sunday; ABC7 reported shortly before 6 a.m. and referred to Saturday, a timing and date that differ from the other reviewed accounts.
Several first-day accounts said Murrell was in a crosswalk at the intersection, and amNY described her as walking westbound in the south crosswalk at West Washington Place.
Destiny Murrell was 22 and lived in Brooklyn
Police identified the victim as Destiny Murrell, 22, of Brooklyn. Daily News reported that she lived in Brownsville, about nine miles from where she was fatally hurt.
Daily News reported that a woman who identified herself as Murrell's mother declined to comment by phone and requested privacy as the family grieves.
Police searched for a driver in a gray vehicle
Police descriptions in the reviewed reports refer to a gray vehicle, with some accounts calling it a gray SUV or possibly an SUV. First-day reports said the driver left toward Waverly Place; CBS and amNY reported that police said the driver went north on Sixth Avenue and then west on Waverly Place.
ABC7 and Daily News reported that the driver had not been caught, and News12 reported that the operator did not remain at the scene.
Medics took Murrell to Bellevue as witnesses tried to help
Police said Murrell suffered severe head trauma, and News12 reported severe trauma to her head and torso. Medics took her to Bellevue Hospital, where she died.
CBS identified witness Corey Schwartz, who said he ran over after seeing people screaming. Schwartz told CBS, "It's scary. My first reaction was to make sure she had a heartbeat to see if she needed CPR."
amNY reported that the NYPD Highway District's Collision Investigation Squad was investigating and that police asked anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers.