87-year-old grandma hit, killed getting out of car after church, California family says

An 87-year-old woman returning to her home after church died after police say an accused drunk driver hit the car dropping her off, a California family said.

The crash knocked Aurora Reynozo of Sylmar to the ground, killing her, at 8:45 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7, Los Angeles police told KTLA.

The driver accused of hitting the car, a 33-year-old man, drove off, striking five more parked vehicles before coming to a stop, police told KNBC. He faces a charge of driving under the influence.

The friend dropping Reynozo off after a Bible study session also was injured, KABC reported.

Reynozo was loved by many, granddaughter Felicia Reynozo told KNBC.

“I had friends that would call her grandmother,” she told KABC. “She was the person that would raise other people’s children. She would feed you. It didn’t matter what you did, who you were, she would treat you like royalty.”

Lorraine Aceves, Reynozo’s niece, told KTLA that her aunt “meant so much” to her family.

“She was just a ray of light,” Aceves told the station. ”The moment she walked into a room, she brought so much beauty to everybody.”

Sylmar is about 25 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles.

This story was originally published September 10, 2023 at 1:05 PM with the headline "87-year-old grandma hit, killed getting out of car after church, California family says."