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BENICIA, Calif. (KTVU) - Police in Benicia are asking for help in solving a hit-and-run collision that killed a 70-year-old woman who was walking in the rain to nearby store.
Neighbors say the 1000 block of East 5th Street, where Sharon DeLamore was struck on Saturday about 6 p.m., is a major thoroughfare even though it's a residential neighborhood. They say drivers often speed.
A friend said that DeLamore was wearing a black raincoat as she walked to a nearby store and was only steps from her home when police say a driver going northbound struck her.
"There was a passerby that saw a purse in the middle of the road. They pulled over and realized there was a person there," neighbor Lori Thomaselli said. "It's just very upsetting and sad that her life had to end like that."
Police say they have surveillance video they are now trying to enhance.They describe the suspect vehicle as a red or maroon sedan. They say the driver never stopped.
"It was clear from the footage that we've seen that the driver knew they hit someone," said Irma Widjojo, spokeswoman for the Benicia Police Department.
Neighbors say passersby found DeLamore on the roadway unconscious in front of their homes. She died of her injuries Sunday night.
Those who knew her described her as a sweet lady who lived alone.
"I'd say hi to her," neighbor Tony Bernasconi said. "I helped her with her groceries getting into the house. She was a nice old lady."
DeLamore's friend says she made and sold jewelry as a hobby. She loved to knit and was an animal lover.
"I'm shocked. It's really hard. How someone can do this to another human being ..just leave them lying there and not even stop to offer help," said a friend named Eileen.
Police are asking anyone in the area with surveillance cameras to check the footage from 5:50 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and look for a red or maroon sedan. They say there may be front-end damage to the car. Police are also urging the driver responsible to come forward.