Family: Woman killed in hit and run involving Columbus Police officer
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — The family of 25-year-old Naimo Abdirahman says she was the woman killed in the hit-and-run involving a Columbus police officer.
RELATED | Columbus Police release new details Monday in fatal hit-and-run case
The 911 call came in at 2:41 a.m. on April 20, about a person lying along Morse Road near Walford Street.
Witnesses told officers a woman was near the crosswalk at the intersection when she was hit by a dark-colored vehicle.
Her body was found at least 50 feet east of the crosswalk. Police still have not released the name of the victim but did relieve officer Demetris Ortega of duty pending an investigation in connection to the fatal hit-and-run.
The family of Naimo Abdirahman spoke Sunday and said they were contacted by the coroner about her death. They said they still have not been contacted by police.
Abdirahman's sister Kifaax Mataan said Abdirahman was struggling with mental illness. She said she would often run away from her home and take walks near the intersection where she was killed.
"My sister was a very sweet person. She was very kind, very helpful and very smart person," said Mataan. "It makes us very, very sad why they haven't contacted us at all."
She was also a mother of a 2-year-old son.
The family has now hired an attorney, Russell Flickinger, who plans to call Columbus police first thing Monday morning.
"All they are asking is to be informed during this investigation so that we can find out exactly what happened, who was driving and why they were behind the wheel of that car," said Flickinger.
Officer Ortega has not been charged in the crash.
According to his personnel file, Ortega was also relieved of duty in 2015.
