SAN ANTONIO – A family is pleading for justice five months after their loved one was fatally struck while crossing a road on the Northwest Side, asking for the responsible driver to come forward.
Joseph Smothers, 73, was killed on Sept. 7, 2024, in a hit-and-run accident in the 5000 block of Fredericksburg Road.
San Antonio police said Smothers was attempting to cross the street when the crash happened.
His daughter, Delky Strickling, said the pain of losing him remains.
“That pain is always going to be there,” Strickling said. “That sting.”
Smothers, a minister, moved to San Antonio from New Orleans after the family lost their home to Hurricane Katrina.
His family remembers him as a man devoted to spreading love and faith.
“He liked to preach to people,” Strickling said. “He liked to tell people about God’s word and just let them know that they were loved.”
The day of the incident, Smothers had gone out to pay a bill but never made it home. Authorities said the driver who struck him did not stop or render aid. Another vehicle later hit him, and its driver called the police.
Investigators recovered a license plate and parts from a 2020 Toyota Tacoma at the scene but have not located the driver.
Crime Stoppers is now asking for the public’s help.
Strickling said the family wants closure and justice but also offers forgiveness.
“We deserve the closure and peace for what happened, and we deserve justice for what happened to him,” she said. “We forgive you. We just want you to come forward.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers at 210-224-7867 (STOP).
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