Georgia man arrested for killing crossing guard near school
COBB COUNTY, Ga. Dec 17 2017– A man is in jail after he struck and killed a crossing guard near a Cobb County school, police say.
Channel 2 Action News received the mugshot of Lamonte Whitaker, who has been charged with vehicular homicide.
Police said he hit Edna Umeh in late November near Lindley Middle School along Veteran’s Memorial Highway in Mableton.
Police said Whitaker aggressively went into the center lane in heavy traffic in a designated school zone where the speed limit is 25 miles per hour.
According to an arrest warrant, Whitaker was driving recklessly and going more than 20 miles over the speed limit.
“I’m very angry, but the Lord says you have to forgive, so I forgive him,” said the victim’s son, Rahim Tarver. “I forgive him, but I’m not going to forget what he did to my mother.”
Umeh’s family said they are pushing for safety changes, but police and elected officials aren’t moving fast enough.
“Mr. Whitaker was more protected than my sister was out on that highway,” the victim’s sister, Toni Hunt, said.
Tarver said he’ll be out with a sign every day to remind people to slow down
“We’re not going to let this die down until it’s done,” he said.
County officials said a safety audit is scheduled for January.
