Police in Phoenix are investigating after a 19-year-old was killed late Friday night in the South Valley.
According to police, just before 11 p.m. near 31st Street and Broadway Road three people were pushing a disabled Chevy Malibu in the area.
A 2004 Honda struck the rear of the Malibu. The vehicle also struck Kiara Melvin; the other two people pushing the disabled car were not hit or injured.
Melvin was taken to a hospital where she died of her injuries.
Police say the driver of the Honda stayed at the scene. Impairment is not believed to have played a factor in the crash.
On Saturday night, friends and family gathered to remember the woman who died.
"My baby was — she was a bundle of joy," Melvin's mother, Sharnell Mitchell, said. "She had a beautiful smile on her face."
Others described Melvin as being full of life and said she had a big impact on those who surrounded her.
"You could always count on her laugh because that's what she was good for...and dancing," Melvin's cousin, Kiondra McNeal said.
Just before Mother's Day, Kiara's mother has a message to share.
“Keep your children close to your heart because you never know when God is going to call them home,” Mitchell said.
As dozens of family, friends, community members come together through their pain, they celebrate the life she lived.
