Two victims identified in Fort Worth crash that killed five on Interstate 35W
Two of the five people killed Monday after being hit by a suspected drunk driver in Fort Worth have been identified by family members.
A mother and her boyfriend, Amber Hopewell and Willie Gunn, were killed in the crash, Gunn’s family told the Star-Telegram. Hopewell’s children — ages 2, 4, 9 — were the three other victims who were with them in the vehicle, according to the family.
They were killed around midnight Monday when 19-year-old Eduardo Gonzalez, driving a Chevrolet Camaro, rear-ended the victims’ sedan near the East Seminary Drive exit on Interstate 35W, causing the sedan to catch fire, according to Fort Worth police.
MedStar originally said three of the victims were believed to be adults and two were children. There were no survivors in the car, according to MedStar and police.
Gonzalez was arrested and charged with five counts of intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle, police said.
He suffered serious injuries and was taken to a hospital and then to jail, a police spokesperson said. A MedStar spokesperson said the driver’s injuries were minor.
Jacresia Gunn, Gunn’s niece, organized a GoFundMe, asking for financial support to give her uncle a “proper homegoing.”
The GoFundMe seeks to raise $12,000 to go toward memorial and funeral services for Gunn.
Alecia Gunn, Willie Gunn’s ex-wife, told KDFW-TV that he helped her raise her children and leaves behind two children of his own.
“The drunk driving has to stop,” Alecia Gunn told KDFW. “It’s a terrible way… for his new girlfriend and her kids. It’s terrible to lose somebody like that. It’s been a rough couple of days.”
This story was originally published August 21, 2024 at 10:04 PM.
