PHOENIX — Lewis Kemp took pride in getting his home decked out for the holidays.
“He loved to do his Christmas decorations. That was his favorite holiday of the year. So, he was ready for Christmas,” said Arminda Muñoz, Kemp's fiancé.
Being with his family was, in Kemp's opinion, the best present of all.
“He would always crack a joke and make everybody laugh,” said Muñoz.
A laugh Muñoz won’t ever hear again. On Dec. 11 – their holiday season was rocked when she didn’t hear from Kemp.
“He texted me, ‘I’m on my way there,’ I never heard back from him,” said Muñoz.
Phoenix police said that Lewis, a father of two, was killed when his pickup truck collided with a sedan that drove through a stop sign near the intersection of 75th Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road.
Mark Stanley saw it happen.
“He tried to avoid that white car and in doing so, he hit a curb and then a light pole and that flipped him over,” said Stanley.
Stanley called 911 and, while he tried to help Kemp, the driver of the other vehicle took off and ran into the nearby neighborhood.
“It’s coward what he did. Leave him there,” said Muñoz.
A Christmas-themed memorial has been set up at the site of the crash. Phoenix police said there have been no arrests, but the family is hoping for justice.
“If anybody out there saw anything please come forward. His kids are devastated. Everybody that knew him is devastated,” said Muñoz. “He was an amazing man. A very amazing man.”
If you have any information about the crash or anything that may help police solve the case, please call Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS.
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