Family members of one of the five victims killed Monday when their car was hit by a suspected drunk driver on Interstate 35W in Fort Worth say they are hurting and looking for answers.
Willie Gunn and his girlfriend, Amber Hopewell, died in the crash, according to Gunn’s family. Hopewell’s children — ages 2, 4, 9 — were the three other victims who were with them in the car, the family said.
Jacresia Gunn, Willie Gunn’s niece, said her uncle loved people and brought them together. He was also a praying man who knew how to uplift others’ spirits.
“He was everything to our family,” Jacresia Gunn told the Star-Telegram.
Gunn made a living driving for DoorDash. Jacresia Gunn said that’s what her uncle was doing when the accident occurred.
Fort Worth police have said that a 19-year-old man driving a Chevrolet Camaro northbound on I-35W rear-ended a sedan near the East Seminary Drive exit. The car caught fire, killing everyone inside.
The Camaro’s driver, Eduardo Gonzalez, was arrested. Police said they found alcohol containers inside the 19-year-old’s vehicle and he showed signs of intoxication . He was also traveling at a high rate of speed when he slammed into the sedan, investigators said. Results of a blood alcohol test are still pending.
Gonzalez is being held in the Tarrant County Jail and is charged with five counts of intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle. His bond has been set at $150,000 for each victim.
Jacresia Gunn said the family didn’t immediately realize Willie Gunn was one of the victims because news outlets said three of the victims were believed to be adults and two were children based on an initial MedStar report.
Then, Jacresia Gunn had a dream about her uncle Willie. His face was vivid in her mind, she said. When she woke up, the first thing she saw was a social media post about the crash and the words R.I.P. Amber, the name of Gunn’s girlfriend.
Jacresia Gunn said she immediately tried calling Willie Gunn’s phone, but he didn’t answer. The next morning she and her family started making phone calls, including to John Peter Smith Hospital and the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office.
According to Jacresia Gunn, the medical examiner couldn’t make a positive identification at first because Gunn’s body was so damaged by the fire. He was finally identified through a bullet left in his body when he was shot several years ago.
Jacresia Gunn said the most difficult part for the family is that no one has reached out to them about Willie Gunn’s death. They’ve had to initiate all the phone calls, she said. They are currently trying to contact a detective assigned to the case. They have called and left messages, but haven’t heard back, she said.
Jacresia Gunn told the Star-Telegram that she understands that some mail with her uncle’s name and address were found in the car, and she wonders why the family didn’t learn about the fatal accident sooner.
“We want to see the police report — we want to see everything,” she said.
She also wonders how Gonzalez was able to get access to alcohol because of his age, and said she wants him held accountable for his alleged actions.
“He really took a lot from us,” she said.
Jacresia Gunn said she and Hopewell were close even before Hopewell became her uncle’s girlfriend. The two women lived next door to each other, and their children would play together.
“They didn’t even get a chance to live their lives,” Jacresia Gunn said of Hopewell’s three children.
She described Hopewell as “a great person” who loved her kids and everyone around her.
Jacresia Gunn said they are especially haunted by the family’s last minutes in the car.
Did they fight to get out? What were their last words? Jacresia Gunn said she knows her uncle was praying.
She recently saw video footage of the accident scene and realized that bystanders rushed toward the burning car to help. She wants all of them to know how grateful she is for their actions and for putting their own lives in danger.
Willie Gunn’s family has set up a GoFundMe to help with his funeral expenses . Jacresia Gunn said the family is also asking for people to lift them up in prayer.
“We need a lot of prayer,” she said.
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