A family is grieving the unimaginable loss of a 21-month-old girl, killed by a suspected DUI driver while sitting on the front steps of a Long Beach apartment building with family members earlier this week.
Officials with the Long Beach Police Department said the fatal March 2 accident occurred just before 11:30 a.m. at 440 Maine Avenue when the driver, now identified as Lamont Russell, 55, reversed over a curb and struck the toddler, her auntie and young cousin, all of whom were sitting on the front steps.
Footage captured in the immediate aftermath of the crash obtained by KTLA showed toddler’s mother, Meicole Johnson, inconsolable after the death of her daughter Myrah Hunter.
“My baby was everything, smart, loving,” she told KTLA’s Carlos Saucedo some three days after the tragedy. “She loved dancing, singing, coloring.”
Holding onto her 9-month-old son Jerimiah, who was not injured, she recalled what happened.
“The driver just came down the street and he was trying to park right there,” she said. “He reversed and hit all of them right there that were on the stairs. My auntie had broken ribs. Her pelvis is split, rods in her back, and my niece got a broken femur.”
The toddler’s injuries were so critical that she was raced to the hospital by two police officers.
Myrah Hunter, 21 months, seen in this undated photo. (viewer image)
“The child was taken by a black and white with two officers, one driving and one providing life-saving care on the way to a local hospital,” LBPD Lt. Hotchkiss said.
The 21-month-old was pronounced dead a short time later.
The 55-year-old driver, who remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators, was arrested not long after the deadly crash on suspicion of DUI. He has since been charged with murder.
Long Beach authorities are investigating after three people, including a young child, were hit by a car on Monday, March 2, 2026. (OnScene.TV)
Long Beach authorities are investigating after three people, including a young child, were hit by a car on Monday, March 2, 2026. (OnScene.TV)
Long Beach authorities are investigating after three people, including a young child, were hit by a car on Monday, March 2, 2026. (OnScene.TV)
Myrah Hunter, 21 months, seen in this undated photo. (viewer image)
A day after the terrible ordeal, community members and family members gathered at the crash site, where a small but growing memorial to Myrah could be seen, to release balloons in her honor.
Ali Neal, Myrah’s cousin had strong words for the man arrested after the crash, as well as to anyone who chooses to drink and drive.
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“You took a life, a valuable life. You didn’t take anybody that didn’t matter. She mattered to everyone,” she said. “To anybody who drinks, who drives, don’t do it. Make a smart decision, order an Uber.”
The family said they are hoping the driver will face the maximum punishment in the case.
A GoFundMe has been organized to help cover the cost of funeral expenses as Myrah’s mother is forced to take a step back from work to care for her son and injured family members.
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