Just before 3 p.m. Saturday, the U.S. Postal Service employee, whom his family identified as Robert Jones, was on his normal route when an SUV tried to go around another car and Jones' postal truck, which was hit.
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Jones tries to make a left turn when the SUV clips the mail truck, causing it to flip into a ditch and trap Jones underneath. The suspect's car, which police described as a 2011 Ford Expedition, appears to slow down before driving off.
"You had no regard for human life at all," J'La Jones, the victim's wife, said. "You didn't have to do that. You could have at least stopped and seen if he was OK, and called 911. You did nothing. You didn't care about his life, his family, nothing, or what your actions were going to do."
Police praised witnesses who were seen on the surveillance footage running to try and save Jones while others are seen chasing after the suspect's SUV. According to the Houston Police Department, witnesses wrote down the driver's license plate. Police went to the home the vehicle was registered to, where a person claimed their SUV was stolen.
ORIGINAL STORY: Postal worker thrown from truck after being hit by driver who fled in north Houston hit-and-run: HPD
"What's next?" Donisha Bowman, his cousin, asked. "When was it stolen? It's not adding up."
According to family members, Jones worked for the USPS for seven years, loving his job more than anything. While he was an aspiring engineer, he cherished the connections he made in the community. He also leaves behind a 4-year-old daughter, whom family members described as his entire world.
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"Robert was a girl-dad," Bowman said. "He spent every day with his daughter. He was just planning a trip with her for her birthday coming up in November for Disney. He already had the tickets."
Jones' family is determined to find answers and the driver responsible for taking away the father of the girl, who they say is too young to fully understand what happened.
"Where is (the suspect) now?" Bowman asked. "Nobody has said anything. Nobody contacted his mom. My cousin passed Saturday. It's Monday. We want justice. We want peace."
Anyone with information in this case is urged to contact the HPD Hit and Run Unit at 713-247-4072 or speak anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 713-222-8477.
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