INDIANAPOLIS — Three teenagers were killed in Indianapolis last Saturday when a pair of drunk drivers hit them while they were walking on the side of the road where there was no sidewalk.
Okadema Link and his daughter Shantiana Willis were arrested and are being charged in the case: nine felony counts including reckless homicide and driving drunk resulting in death.
“I mean, don’t drink and drive its common sense,” said one of the mothers of teens killed in a press conference Thursday. “It could’ve happened to anyone anywhere because someone was out senseless drinking and driving and speeding. Unfortunately, it happened to be our three children out there.”
David Evans, 14, Tyjiana Velez, 13, and Kierra Brown, 15, were all hit and killed.
Investigators believe both Link and Willis were traveling north of 70 mph in on a part of southbound Kessler Boulevard North Drive near 38th Street just before 1 a.m. May 23. The speed limit in that area is around 35 mph.
“With alcohol, your judgment is normally the first thing to go,” said IMPD Chief Randall Taylor. “People usually know where their limits are so, please stay well within those so we don’t have a reoccurrence of this kind of incident.”
Both Willis and Link drove off from the scene after hitting the kids, but police say Link returned about an hour later and told officers he was irresponsible for hitting them.
Each of the three mothers agree something needs to be done to make that stretch of the road their children were walking on a safer place to be, whether it be putting in a sidewalk, extra lights, or more police officers patrolling the area.
