18-year-old man held on $1.5M bond, charged in deadly Durham street racing crash
THIS IS WRAL.
>> NOW HERE AT 5, 30 18
YEAR-OLD CHARGED IN A DEADLY
DURHAM'S STREET RACING CRASH IS
BEING HELD ON 1.5 MILLION
DOLLARS BOND. THANK YOU FOR
JOINING US. I'M DAN HAGGERTY
AND I'M LENA TILLETT. WRAL WAS
THE ONLY CAMERA IN THE
COURTROOM AS RUIZ GO AS
APPEARED IN COURT THIS MORNING
FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THAT
ACCIDENT, SKY 5 FLEW OVER THE
SCENE LATE THURSDAY NIGHT AT
THE INTERSECTION. THIS IS
HIGHWAY 55 AND BRUTAL ROAD.
YOU SEE THE AFTERMATH. LOOK AT
THOSE POLES DOWN. THEY ARE.
AUTHORITIES SAY 36 YEAR-OLD
JAMAL PARKER WAS KILLED WRAL'S
MONICA CASEY WAS IN COURT
TODAY. SHE JOINS US NOW LIVE.
MONICA, WE SHOULD SAY.
>> PARKER WAS A FATHER OF 4, 1,
OF LAST YEAR.
>> THAT'S RIGHT. WE HAVE ALSO
LEARNED THE SUSPECT IN THIS
CASE, KEVIN RUIZ, GOMEZ WAS
DRIVING WITH A LICENSE THAT
WAS REVOKED AT THE TIME.
ALL OF THIS CRASH. WE SPOKE
WITH PARKER'S FAMILY AFTER THAT
FIRST APPEARANCE WHO SAY THE
4 CHILDREN HE LEAVES BEHIND.
WE'LL MISS HIM.
>> THIS IS JAMAL PARKER.
THE MAN KILLED IN A CRASH LAST
THURSDAY NIGHT.
EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD KEVIN RUIZ
GOMEZ FACES 10 CHARGES AND
CITATIONS FOR THAT INCIDENT
FACING A JUDGE FOR THE FIRST
TIME. THE DURHAM COUNTY
SHERIFF'S OFFICE SAYS RUIZ
GOMEZ WAS FLEEING TO ELUDE
ARREST AFTER A DEPUTY TRIED
TO STOP HIM FOR STREET RACING.
HE IS CHARGED WITH DRIVING
THROUGH A RED LIGHT AND HITTING
JAMAL PARKER'S CAR, KILLING
HIM AND SERIOUSLY INJURING A
WOMAN IN THE PASSENGER SEAT.
PARKER HAD NO PART IN THE
STREET RACING.
>> A
>> LITTLE AND SAY HE'S ON TO
ELIZABETH REEVES SPOKE TO RUIZ
GOMEZ AND THE JUDGE IN COURT
ASKING FOR THE BOND TO REMAIN
POINTING OUT THE CHILDREN.
PARKER LEAVES BEHIND A LOT HAS
>> IT TO TO THE JUDGE INCREASE
RUIZ. GOMEZ IS BOND TO 1.5
MILLION DOLLARS SPEAKING WITH
US AFTER THAT FIRST APPEARANCE,
REEVES SAYS PARKER WAS A HERO
TO HIS CHILDREN.
>> AND HIS FAMILY IS NOW TRYING
TO RAISE MONEY FOR
HIS FUNERAL.
>> HOW A SMILEY HAPPY. HE JUST
WANT EVERYBODY TO BE HAPPY
AROUND HIM. THE CAR, A GIVER.
WE GIVE HIS LAYS AND AND HIS
MAIN PRIORITY WAS
HIS CHILDREN. THIS ITEM AT IT
HE WORKED HARD TO CARE FOR.
NOW.
>> RUIZ GOMEZ WAS ALSO CITED
FOR DRIVING ON THE WRONG SIDE
OF THE ROAD THAT NIGHT AND
DRIVING WITHOUT ANY HEADLIGHTS
ON HIS NEXT COURT APPEARANCE
IS LATER THIS MONTH LIVE IN