The husband of a California pastor who was killed in a hit-and-run has reportedly forgiven the suspect.
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Police arrested and booked 55-year-old Carlos Mayor for alleged vehicular manslaughter after Trina Newman-Townsend was hit and killed on Christmas Eve, Christian Post reported.
The 62-year-old pastor, who has two biological kids and six foster children, was reportedly struck as she walked back to her car after dropping off gifts at a Los Angeles shelter.
According to a witness, the car that hit Newman-Townsend was going about 40 miles per hour and went through a red light and drove off after hitting her, KNBC-TV reported.
Despite such a significant loss, the evangelist’s husband, Curtis Townsend Sr., offered a message of forgiveness to Mayor after the alleged hit-and-run.
“Carlos, I forgive you,” the grieving husband reportedly said. “You panicked. Things happen.”
And Newman-Townsend’s daughter, Callie Harvey, spoke before a crowd of friends and loved ones last week, praising her late mother’s kindness and compassion.
“She had a heart,” Harvey said. “That lady, she loved unconditionally.”
The family offered similar accolades in a GoFundMe description, calling the beloved mother “a faithful woman of God.”
“Even in her last living moments, she lived a life gratitude, humanitarian aid, and social justice,” the description read. “Her days were filled with love, laughter, faith, and communion.”
Despite the forgiving tone from the family, understandable frustration was also expressed after the accused failed to turn himself in before arrest.
“For a week and a half, you lived your life, and for you to live close by, to see my mother’s face on a wall, to see candles, to see us out there,” Harvey said. “You did not care.”
The Los Angeles Police Department said they hope the arrest will help bring healing to the family. A $50,000 reward had previously been offered to find the individual responsible.
A GoFundMe for the family has brought in just over $8,000.
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