Family and friends of a man killed in a hit-and-run crash in Oakland over the weekend said Tuesday they want justice.
Jerome LaDay, 44, was riding his bicycle home after work late Friday when he was struck and killed, said Justin Gray, a friend who owns a dispensary in San Francisco, Golden Gate Cannabis Co., where LaDay worked as the head of security operations.
The crash occurred around 11:30 p.m. on International Boulevard, at the intersection with 78th Avenue. Investigators believe LaDay was headed across the thoroughfare when an eastbound car struck him.
Officers found LaDay lying in the westbound lanes. Paramedics took him to a hospital, where he died, police said.
The driver took off, police said.
Gray described LaDay as trustworthy, witty and charming. “He was a standup guy,” Gray said. “I trusted that man with my life.”
Gray added that LaDay “always had a smile on his face” and “made everybody smile wherever he went.”
LaDay commuted to work on his bike and BART, Gary said. He lived in East Oakland with his mother, Gray said, adding that LaDay was her sole provider and caretaker. His mother, who raised LaDay and his brother as a single parent, struggles with health-related mobility issues, Gray said.
Gray said he hopes police arrest the driver to provide his family a sense of closure, especially his mother. “She needs to know that someone is held accountable for what happened,” Gray said.
He started a
GoFundMe page
to help raise funds for his family.
