DENVER – Police are looking for a hit-and-run driver who slammed into a parked van in the Villa Park neighborhood last night and kept driving.
Moments later, the driver struck and killed a dog that had run into the street and still didn't stop.
"I've been crying all day," said an emotional Randi Gauvin, whose boxer-terrier mix, Angel, succumbed to her injuries.
Security camera video shows Gauvin's 2-year old son opening the front gate and Angel squeezing through.
The boy runs after the dog and is quickly followed by Gauvin's boyfriend. The video then shows the dog getting hit and the driver leaving the scene.
Part of the hit-and-run vehicle's inner fender well was left behind.
"I'd had her since she was about 7 months old," Gauvin said. "She been through my first pregnancy and I'm pregnant now."
The young mom spent much of the day combing through pictures and videos of her beloved Angel.
"She was literally like a daughter," she said.
She wants police to find the driver responsible.So does next door neighbor Tracy Collins.
"My dog Brodie loved playing with Angel," she said. "Angel was so full of energy and just the sweetest dog."
Collins told Denver7, "I'm sure it would be really hard for the person to come forward and take responsibility for that, but it's definitely the right thing to do."
On Thursday morning, another neighbor on a walk found a damaged SUV abandoned in Martinez Park. She snapped a few photos which show damage to both front fenders, evidence of airbag deployment and a missing fender well.
Denver police told Denver7 they're trying to determine if there is a connection between the abandoned SUV and the hit and runs.