Husband of hit-and-run victim speaks out

FULTON COUNTY, Ga.,None — The husband of a middle school teacher killed in a weekend hit-and-run crash said he's relieved to know an arrest has been made in the case.

"I'm just glad they caught the guy. Justice will be served. It's still sad. My wife is gone," Jarrett Worthy told Channel 2's Eric Philips.

Worthy fought back tears and held his 1-year-old daughter in his arms during the interview. Worthy's wife, Latara, had gone out Saturday night to celebrate her upcoming birthday with friends. Police said she stepped out of a car on South Fulton Parkway when she was struck by a car around 3:30 a.m.

"I thought we were going to wake up, and it would all be over. It was a just a nightmare that all of us shared," the victim's aunt, Wilhelmina Shanks said. "But it's not a nightmare. It's a reality and our hearts our broken."
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Twenty-year-old Jamonta Smith has been charged with vehicular homicide, along with other offenses. It is unclear why Worthy was in the street.

"Our minds are unclear and confused as to how this could have happened," Shanks said.

Smith told Union City police he knew he'd hit something, but when he stopped to check, he didn't see what it was, so he kept going. He said later he saw news reports of Worthy's death and put two and two together. He turned himself in Monday.

Loved ones and students at Woodland Middle School are struggling to cope with the loss. Family members are also concerned about the child left motherless.

"It's a very sad situation, but we are surrounding the baby with love," Shanks said.

Worthy said, "I'm going to keep my head up and be strong for my daughter."

His wife would have turned 30 on Tuesday.

WSBTV