A young mother of five in Texas was run over by a car and killed outside her home while defending her 11-year-old daughter from bullies, authorities and her family said.
Ashley Lopez, 28, was mowed down during a street fight that started when her 11-year-old daughter’s bullies showed up outside her San Antonio home the evening of Jan. 11, KENS 5 reported.
“My granddaughter was being bullied from kids from school,” Lopez’s mother, Ana Blanco, told the news station.
Blanco said her daughter, Lopez, intervened when the 11-year-old’s tormenters caused a massive fight in the street.
As the argument escalated, Pennie Gomez, 36, got into her silver Hyundai Sonata and intentionally drove over two women, killing Lopez and injuring the other, according to the outlet.
At least five witnesses told police they saw Gomez intentionally driving into the crowd, the arrest affidavit states.
“People were hitting the car, telling her stop and that [Lopez] was under there and she wouldn’t stop,” said Blanco.
Gomez continued to drive, dragging both women several feet with her car, before driving away, according to the affidavit. Cellphone footage provided to authorities confirmed the witnesses’ statements.
The slain mother’s family said they didn’t know Gomez, but believed her daughter was living at Lopez’s house at the time of the hit-and-run.
“To our recollection, [Lopez and Gomez] were not fighting. There was nothing between them, no bad blood,” said Lopez’s sister-in-law Andrea Mata.
Police later arrested Gomez in connection to Lopez’s death.
An investigation found that Gomez was wanted on unrelated charges. Warrants for her arrest on the charges of murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon were issued Thursday. Gomez also faces charges of drug possession.
