Police: Pedestrian, 63, Struck & Killed In St. Paul
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A morning walk for a St. Paul couple ended in tragedy at a busy intersection Thursday. Kunlek Wangmo, 63, and her husband were crossing St. Clair Avenue at West 7th Street around 6:40 a.m. when she was struck and killed by a passing motorist.
Neighbors say taking the daily walk was nothing unusual for Wangmo and her husband. He had already reached the southwest corner 7th Street and St. Clair around 6:45 a.m. when he heard the horrifying noise behind him.
"She was in the crosswalk," St. Paul Police spokesperson Steve Linders said.
Linders said that when the victim's husband turned around, his wife was lying on the pavement. She had just been struck and killed by a 29-year-old female driver who police say was not impaired.
What's unclear to investigators is why the driver didn't see her victim in the controlled crosswalk.
"The driver of the car who struck Ms. Wangmo is cooperating," Linders said. "She is working with officers to help us understand what happened, drugs and alcohol do not seem to have played a role in this."
"I feel bad - it is so sad," neighbor Kuriya Kamara said.
Kamara added that the busy intersection is more dangerous in the dark, and she urged drivers to slow down and remain watchful.
"It is very dangerous for a woman to die just crossing the street. Didn't the driver see or what? If you saw somebody crossing you have to stop," Kamara said.
Police continue to investigate the tragedy to determine what brought a fatal end to a casual morning walk. In the meantime, they urge everyone to use more caution as seasons change and the days shorten.
"Stay on the lookout for each other, follow traffic laws and make sure you see what's coming and make sure they see you," Linders said.
