A young woman’s promising future was cut short after her family says she was killed by a drunk driver.
Kennedy Reed, 26, was killed on Tuesday, according to her family. She was involved in a car crash in St. Louis.
“My best friend, my one and only child was taken from me by a drunk driver traveling at a extremely high rate of speed,” her mother wrote on Facebook.
According to investigators, a BMW 330i sedan was heading westbound on Dr. Martin Luther King Drive around 7:20 p.m. Police say the BMW failed to stop at a stop sign at the North Euclid Avenue intersection and hit a Mazda 6 that was being driven northbound.
Family members on Facebook identified Reed as the driver of the Mazda.
She was taken to the hospital, where she later was pronounced dead. Three people in the BMW also were taken to the hospital for various injuries. The 22-year-old female driver sustained minor injuries, according to police.
Witnesses posted a video of the scene on Facebook, showing how the chaotic scene unfolded.
One woman, who appeared to be detained at the scene with two other people, yells at bystanders and tries to throw punches at one of them. But the bystander catches her with a punch first, before she trips and officers pull her away and tackle her.
“STOP!” an officer yells at her as she continues to struggle with authorities.
The crowd jeers the woman who was in the car as she is hauled away by cops. “Book them h–s!”
“I told y’all that b—h drunk,” another bystander in another video from the scene says.
The person who recorded the video followed the woman and officers down the street, as they were taking her into custody.
“What did I do though?” the woman asked as officers took her into custody. “She hit me first.”
Another witness, Charlie Looch, wrote on Facebook that he waited with Reed at the scene until first responders could arrive.
“She did not transition here from earth alone; myself along with numerous others in the community stayed right there with her until they transferred her to the hospital,” he wrote.
Atlanta Black Star reached out to police to confirm reports that there was a drunk driver involved in the crash.
The other people involved in the crash have not been identified.
Family Reacts
Late Wednesday, Kennedy’s mother made a post about her only child.
“This is a pain, hurt, and tightness in my chest that I would never wish on a parent,” Portia Reed, Kennedy’s mother, wrote. “My life will forever be changed.
According to her obituary, Reed was known for her academic accomplishments, dedication, and kindness. She was also committed to scientific discovery.
At the time of her death, Reed was a Ph.D. candidate at Washington University in St. Louis’s Molecular Microbiology and Microbial Pathogenesis program, where she had begun her doctoral studies in August 2023.
“I don’t know how I will continue this life without you,” Kennedy’s mother said. “I know you’re watching over me, my angel. Until we meet again.”
Atlanta Black Star reached out to Portia Reed for more information but has not heard back.
