Family of east side hit-and-run victim seeks answers, closure, justice

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The family of an east side hit-and-run victim called for justice and urged witnesses to contact authorities.

Pamela Bonilla, 62, was struck by an SUV Saturday around 8:30 p.m. on Brookville Road, east of Arlington Avenue.

Police described the vehicle involved in the crash as a black GMC Envoy with tinted windows. The vehicle model appears to be from between 2002 and 2009, police said.

The black SUV was last seen heading west on Brookville Road and north on Arlington Avenue, according to witnesses.

“I just want closure,” said Apple Bonilla, the victim’s daughter. “My mom never deserved to die that way.”

Pamela had been declared cancer-free days before the accident, Apple said, and looked forward to celebrating her 63rd birthday on August 23.

She was a devoted mother, fun-loving grandmother and the “rock of the family,” her children told News 8.

“My mom means the world to me,” Apple said. “I don’t want to let go yet. I feel like she’s not gone yet. I feel like she’s going to walk in my room.”

Her eyes filled with tears as she recalled one of her final memories of her mother: watching her laugh with her grandchildren.

Pamela was hit and killed while walking alone from their home to a nearby store, her family said, adding it was a walk she had made “dozens of times.”

She was struck “in the middle of the roadway,” according to Maj. Harold Turner, a spokesperson for Indianapolis police.

Anybody with information about the accident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers at (317) 262-TIPS.