JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville couple wants justice after their pet dog was run over by a pickup truck while they were out for a walk and the driver just kept going.
It’s something that will haunt DeAngelo Roberts and girlfriend Olga Shapka forever. Shapka was walking their dog, Charko, in their Baymeadows neighborhood Monday evening when it happened.
"She’s probably pulling him, saying 'Hey come on, let’s go, let’s get out of the street,'" Roberts said Thursday. "She gets out of the street. The dog didn’t make it."
Shapka told News4Jax she had to jump out of the way to avoid getting hit. The vehicle, described by the couple as a black Dodge Ram, never stopped or even slowed down.
Roberts rushed Charko to a veterinarian, where the dog was pronounced dead.
He never expected to say goodbye to his best friend so soon. "I wanted him to be here for the rest of his life, me watch him pass away. Not like this—this is tragedy. I’d rather it be natural," he said.
Roberts told police he searched the area surrounding Southbrook Drive afterward. He called the police after finding a damaged pickup with a matching description and blood in the fender.
The officer who showed up to answer the call spoke with him and the truck’s registered owner. He said the officer didn't write a report, saying there wasn’t much he could do.
The couple set up a makeshift memorial for Charko near where he drew his final breaths. Blood still stains the road just feet from where the dog’s pictures and other mementos sit.
There are no posted speed limits in front of the couple's apartment complex. Roberts said they’re sharing their story now in the hopes that people will slow down in their busy neighborhood.
News4Jax Crime and Safety Expert Ken Jefferson said when it comes to traffic crashes, pets are considered personal property.
"It would not be the same as hitting a human," Jefferson said. "So the person has to file a claim trying to reclaim their personal properties—the value of the personal property."
If the driver leaves the scene, however, they could be charged with leaving the scene of a crash with property damage, Jefferson said.
Roberts hopes the person responsible will come forward and that criminal charges will be filed. But he saved his words for the dog taken too soon.
"I love you every day,” he said. “And now, I miss you every day."