Hit-and-run DUI driver kills man in southern Arizona, sheriff's office says
PIMA COUNTY, Ariz. - A Pima County woman is behind bars after investigators say she was driving under the influence when she hit a pedestrian with her car, killing him.
On March 14 around 11:15 a.m., deputies with the Pima County Sheriff's Office responded to the area of Mona Lisa and Ina roads for reports of someone being hit by a driver. Deputies say they found 24-year-old Robert King in the road, and he died at the scene.
"The initial investigation revealed that a vehicle was seen with a male on top of the hood heading westbound from an apartment complex on Ina Road. Shortly thereafter, the victim fell from the vehicle," said Deputy Marissa Hernandez with the sheriff's office.
The driver of the car is identified as 35-year-old Lia Lara. Deputies say Lara had left a drug rehab facility the day she took of with King's vehicle.
Deputies say she ran from the scene but was found at a gas station soon after.
Lara was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder, leaving the scene of a fatality and driving under the influence.
Lia Lara (Pima County Sheriff's Office)
King's family says he had a rare condition, which led to him getting a liver transplant at the age of 7. They want people to know he isn't a crime statistic and touched so many lives.
King raised money for organ donations and helped design the pediatric unit at Diamond Children's Medical Center in Tucson.
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