DETROIT – The family of 59-year-old Richie Johnson is asking for help finding the driver who struck and killed him in a hit-and-run early Saturday on Detroit’s west side.
Loved ones described Johnson as a devoted family man, a father of six, a grandfather, and a beloved brother and uncle.
“He had a relationship with everybody. He was the coolest dude,” said Rosalind Rainwater, Johnson’s older sister. “My brother dressed; he could dress to impress. It could be your party, and he would outdress you.”
Johnson was hit by a vehicle around 1:10 a.m. as he was walking home from a bar near the intersection of Joy Road and Appoline Street.
Police said the driver left the scene.
Johnson was killed just days before what would have been his 60th birthday on Thursday (Mar. 26).
Rainwater said she learned of her brother’s death in the early morning hours.
“I got the call about 2 something in the morning saying that my brother was laying in the street dead,” she said, as their mother, Betty Rainwater, held up a picture of Johnson.
Rainwater said police are reviewing video in the area and believe the vehicle involved may be a red Chevrolet Impala. She urged anyone with information to come forward and is pleading with the driver responsible to turn themselves in.
“If you’re listening, if you’re watching, you just don’t know you took somebody that was so loved in this world, and it’s not fair,” Rainwater said. “So please, just please do the right thing, for yourself and for my family, please. We need some closure.”
Johnson’s family has started a GoFundMe to help pay for funeral expenses.
Anyone with information can call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.
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