A man arrested for killing a young teacher in a hit and run was out on bond for an assault charge dating back to 2017 in El Paso.
El Paso Police arrested and charged 24-year old Joel Velazquez with Accident Involving Death killing Amanda Ferguson Weyant in a hit and run on Thanksgiving Day.
KFOX14 reported that at the time of the crash he was out on bond from a 2017 assault charge.
Police arrested and charged Joel Velazquez (left) with Accident Involving Death killing Amanda Ferguson Weyant (right) in a hit and run on Thanksgiving Day
He appears to be in the country illegally and is now currently on an ICE detention hold, related to his immigration status, meaning he cannot bond out of jail.
If he could, his bond is set at $125,000. On Friday police identified Weyant, 28, as the pedestrian killed by the alleged hit-and-run driver.
Police said Velasquez struck and killed Weyant at 1.45 am on November 22, 2018, at Mesa and Cincinnati street, police said.
Weyant was using a crosswalk when she was hit by Velazquez’ car, police said.
The vehicle suspected of striking Weyant, a 1996 Chevrolet Cavalier, was abandoned farther east on the 1300 block of Cincinnati, police said.
The vehicle had damage to its hood and a shattered windshield. Investigators dusted the vehicle for fingerprints.
Mandy was a sixth-grade teacher at Eastwood Heights Elementary School.
The community has been mourning her throughout the holiday weekend.
Amanda’s family want the man responsible for their daughter’s death to be held accountable
Amanda’s parents said their family life has been destroyed by the loss of their daughter
Amanda’s family explained that they learned Velazquez had a criminal past and was in the country illegally
Her family wants the man responsible for their daughter’s death to be held accountable.
Her father Dan Ferguson told Kfox14: ‘He’s destroyed, my family. My daughter, Mandy, was the glue that held my family in place, she was my everything,’ said Dan Ferguson.
On Saturday morning, he received a call from EPPD telling him the man who hit Mandy turned himself in two days after fleeing the scene.
‘I saw where my daughter was hit and where her body was 50 feet from the point of contact. He didn’t even attempt to stop to render aid’, said Ferguson.
‘This man, because of his careless actions, has destroyed a complete family,” said Ferguson.
A towel lies at the scene where Joel Velazquez struck Amanda Ferguson Weyant in a hit and run
Investigators search for evidence after the hit and run incident which killed Amanda Ferguson Weyant
The family explained that they learned Velazquez had a criminal past and was in the country illegally.
‘It just doesn’t add up, it doesn’t seem to be fair’, said Ferguson.
Mandy’s parents are trying to find peace in the memories and the joy their daughter brought to so many people.
‘She was my world, she was my wife’s best friend but she was my baby girl,’ said Ferguson
But they also want accountability and justice for Mandy.
‘Everything was perfect in her life and to have it all taken and senselessly destroyed this is something no parent should go through’, said Ferguson.
Funeral services for Mandy will be on Wednesday, November 28 from 5 pm to 7 pm at Crest View Funeral Home 1426 Zaragoza.
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