Grandmother killed in hit-and-run during morning walk the week before her 92nd birthday

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC/Gray News) - A beloved grandmother is being remembered after she was killed in a hit-and-run while out on her routine morning walk the week before her 92nd birthday.

Robbie Powell began walking around her neighborhood years ago to stay healthy, according to her longtime walking partner, Latrice Alexander. The grandmother would’ve turned 92 on Thursday, WMC reports.

“Robbie had been walking in the neighborhood since either the late ‘60s or early ‘70s. She was like a historian,” Alexander said. “She said she had lived in this community since the ‘50s, and she would show us different things in the neighborhood.”

Powell and another woman were out walking Friday morning when investigators say an SUV lost control while turning at an intersection and hit the two women. Both were rushed to the hospital in critical condition, where Powell died from her injuries.

“I could just hear the sirens, and... I started praying. By the time I came back around, I saw the firetrucks, and that’s when I learned what had happened,” Alexander said.

Investigators are still looking for the driver of the late-model maroon and gray SUV involved in the case. Police released an image of the SUV, which was seen just before 6:30 a.m. Friday.

Alexander says the last few days walking have been particularly painful, knowing that Powell never got to finish her walk and the suspect is still on the run.

“This was the grandmother of the neighborhood, and I would just like to do something to remember her. We would like to finish her walk, maybe pull the community together to complete her walk,” Alexander said.

The woman who was walking with Powell is still recovering in the hospital.

Police say the SUV involved in the crash will have front driver-side damage. Anyone with information about the case is encouraged to call CrimeStoppers at 901-528-CASH.

Copyright 2024 WMC via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.