Hit-and-run victim's brother wants answers following crash on south side
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Lacey Crisp reports Video by tmj4.com
video
MILWAUKEE- Milwaukee police needs help finding the driver of a car that struck and killed a motorcyclist near S. 18th St. and W. Mitchell St. on Saturday night.
Friends and family have put up a makeshift memorial where Javier Ortiz died. His funeral is Thursday, but his family is still looking for answers.
"My brother didn't deserve to die the way he did," said Javier's brother Melvin Ortiz.
Javier Ortiz didn't own a motorcycle. But Saturday night, he borrowed a friend's motorcycle. It was the last ride he would ever take.
"(He was) just having fun. He wasn't even messing around. He was just driving the bike and enjoying the day," said Melvin Ortiz.
Police say Javier Ortiz hit the brakes to avoid a car on S. Pearl St., but ended up being thrown from the bike and hit the bumper of the car. The car is believed to be a 1992-1997 Cadillac Seville.
The driver of the car did not stop, and Javier Ortiz did not make it.
Police and Javier Ortiz's family are searching for that driver.
"We just want the truth, know who did it, why it happened. Even if it was an accident, we really want to know," said Melvin Ortiz.
Javier Ortiz leaves behind a fiance and a 5-year-old daughter. His family, especially his brother, just want to know why it happened.
"My family doesn't hold any hate at all. We would like to know who was driving," said Melvin Ortiz.
Police do have surveillance video of the accident, and say the driver should have realized they hit someone. Anyone with information about that vehicle is asked to call authorities at (414) 935-7360.
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