Family pleads for help to catch killer driver

MIAMI (WSVN) -- A South Florida family is making a painful, public plea after their loved one was struck and killed by a driver who took off.

The family of 18-year-old Howard Times cannot understand how someone could be so heartless, and they need your help to ease their pain.

The fatal hit and run happened in the City of Miami, at the busy intersection of Northwest 67th Street and 12th Avenue on Saturday, on 7:20 p.m. "We would prefer you to turn yourself in, instead of them having to look for you," said Ada Times, the victim's mother.

The high school senior and football player had dreams of joining the Navy. He died from his injuries on Monday at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

The youngest of four children was riding a 2004 BMX dirt bike when the driver of a sport utility vehicle struck him, totaled the bike and left him unconscious by the side of the road.

Police think someone must have seen something in this tight-knit community. "This vehicle came out of an area-- it's a tight neighborhood where everybody knows everybody in this neighborhood," Miami Police Detective Joseph Kennedy said. "There's a lot of kids in this neighborhood, as well. This could have been anyone's child."

Several days later, police still do not have any hard leads on who the driver of that SUV is. Now, the family is left without their youngest and hope the person responsible might understand their pain. "I have a child that's dead right now," said the mother, "and I believe, as a parent, there's no way I can leave a child laying in the streets, if I hit that child."

Police are searching for a white Dodge Durango with dark tinted windows. The victim would have turned 19 this month.

If you have any information on who the driver responsible may be, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward.

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