Family of the 79-year-old woman killed by an alleged meth user said she had dedicated her life to helping drug and alcohol addicts become sober.
Gerri Tomitz was killed last week when a 22-year-old driving a U-Haul truck hit her in a Walmart parking lot and tried to leave the scene, according to police.
An arrest report states the suspect's boyfriend told police she had injected meth the day of the crash. Police found a needle and what appeared to be meth in the U-Haul truck.
The victim's son said Gerri Tomitz had a passion for helping people stop drug and alcohol abuse. He said she struggled with alcohol addiction herself.
"She was sober 35 years. She devoted her life to helping addicts," said Daniel Tomitz, "It's kind of ironic that an addict killed her."
Daniel Tomitz said his mom moved to Henderson from New York two years ago. He said at 79, she was someone you just couldn't slow down.
"She had spunk. She was always going, she had more energy than I ever will," he said.
Daniel said she was loved by many and the loss has been difficult. Friends and family are remembering her for her fierce attitude.
"Friends called her a tornado, a force of nature," he said. "Everybody's just devastated."
