A woman who police say hit two teens on a scooter in New Haven and then drove off was intoxicated at the time of the crash, according to a state's attorney.
An 18-year-old was killed and a 15-year-old remains hospitalized.
Judy Gomez, 55, of East Haven, appeared before a judge on Monday to face charges of evading responsibility.
In court, the state's attorney said Gomez was intoxicated at the time of the crash and that they expect to add a charge of manslaughter with a motor vehicle. In the court documents, officers on scene said Gomez smelled of alcohol and had what appeared to be vomit on her clothes when she was pulled over. When asked if she had used drugs or alcohol that night, she said "yes," according to the documents.
According to police, 18-year-old Christopher Franco was driving a motorized scooter on Friday night on the Tomlinson Bridge when he was hit by a car being driven by Gomez. Police said Gomez drove off after the crash.
Franco was killed and his 15-year-old passenger was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
Franco's family was in the court room. His cousin, Jorge Monroy-Palacio, said the family was distraught.
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“We’re broken. What this woman did wasn’t just cause an accident," Monroy-Palacio said.
Miguel Granda, Franco's brother, said the loss is devastating.
“He didn’t deserve this at all man. Such a great kid.”
“She wasn’t able to look at our family while we were in the courtroom. She wasn’t able to say I’m sorry," Monroy-Palacio said.
Franco recently graduated from Common Ground High School. His family and friends said he was a good kid who was excited, fixing up his new scooter.
"He was always kind. He always helped everybody and he never wanted to see anybody down. I want everyone to know he was a good person and this shouldn't have happened to him at all," said Jayquise Avery, of New Haven.
Franco's brother said hours before the crash, Franco was so excited to get his first paycheck. He was an aspiring electrician.
Common Ground High School is opening its doors on Monday night from 4-6:30 p.m. for friends, teachers or anyone who wants to gather and talk about this painful loss.
Franco's funeral will be on Wednesday.
Gomez was held on $200,000 bond. Her next court appearance was scheduled for August 12.
