MILWAUKEE — A 66-year-old woman has been charged with first degree intentional homicide in the hit-and-run death of a man near 14th and North earlier this week.
Investigators say Shirley Hill intentionally struck the victim, Mamadou Bamba, with her car. If convicted, she faces life in prison.
According to a criminal complaint, early in the morning on January 14, Bamba asked Hill to use her car in order to buy drugs.
Hill became upset when Bamba didn't return until two hours later. She got in the driver's seat of the car, and drove to near 14th and North, where both of them "drank and smoked."
The complaint says that Hill again became upset with Bamba "for how he was smoking crack in her car." The two of them got out of the car and began to argue.
Hill got back in the car and intentionally accelerated toward Bamba, eventually running him over when he fell in the street while trying to get away.
Hill admitted to investigators that the car in question was hers and that she was drinking and smoking in the car prior to the incident.
"You can't replace people. And he is going to be a big miss," Bamba’s cousin, Musa Konneh, said.
Family members told TMJ4’s Megan Lee that the devastating news came as a big shock.
Watch previous coverage: Family remembers man killed in hit-and-run:
"I couldn't believe it. I was in disbelief," Konneh said.
"Who's going to take his spot now? Take care of his mom? Who wants to bury their child? Nobody wants to bury their child," Konneh said.
This unexpected tragedy leaves Bamba’s 13-year-old daughter without her father and a family without their go-to guy.
"He was a great son. He took care of his mom. He did everything his mom asked him to do and was a great community servant," Konneh said.
According to family, Bamba moved to the United States from the Ivory Coast in 2008 and dedicated much of his life to his family.
"He's very generous, lovely, family-oriented. We're going to miss him," his aunt, Fatima Keite, said.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
