A close friend of the man, identified as Alberto Zavala, said he owned a flower shop on Fullerton Avenue and had been a florist in Belmont Cragin for 28 years.
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Witnesses said they were walking in front of Zavala crossing Fullerton, leaving an ice cream shop in the 5200-block, when the speeding SUV struck the 64 year old man at about 10 p.m.
"He was trying to cross. That's when he got hit by a white vehicle speeding very fast. That's when we tried to go to help him out," said witness Christopher Orengo.
Surveillance cameras from a grocery store nearby captured police arriving to the scene. They weren't pointed in the direction of the crash, with the SUV heading eastbound on Fullerton.
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Paramedics rushed to the man to the hospital where he died. Zavala leaves behind four adult children and grandchildren too.
"They should have been responsible enough to stop and actually help him because now that he's gone, it's like ok, what do you get out of it, mostly? You get nothing," said Jazmine Osborne, a friend and neighbor of Zavala.
Police said the vehicle is a white Ford Edge and may have tinted windows. The driver's side mirror housing was knocked off and the front driver's side of the vehicle is likely showing damage from the crash, police said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Chicago Police Department's Major Accident Investigation Unit at 312 745-4521.
Flower shop owner killed in Belmont Cragin hit and run