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San Antonio Family Demands Road Safety Changes After Grandmother Killed by Speeding Driver
The family of Janice Walker, a beloved San Antonio resident, is grieving her loss and urgently calling for safety improvements after a driver allegedly speeding in a Mercedes struck and killed her on November 11th. The suspect, Anthony Jarmine Gates, has been arrested and faces charges in connection with the fatal collision.
Janice Walker, 70, was sitting on her front porch when she was struck and killed, leaving a void in the community where she was known for her kindness and encouragement. Her son, Stanley Walker, shared his grief and frustration, stating, “She had plenty of life left in her.” He now lives in the home with his 87-year-old grandmother and feels unsafe in what should be a sanctuary. “Every day this was her spot, every day,” Stanley said, recalling his motherS daily routine. “I just miss kicking it with her. She was just real playful,always happy,a real joyful person.”
The arrest of gates, 28, came more than two months after the tragedy, and Stanley learned of it through KENS 5 news, not from law enforcement officials. Gates was initially arrested in Victoria County on Tuesday on charges of Public Intoxication, Failure to Identify, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, each carrying a $350 bond. He is now also charged with Collision Involving Death, with a $50,000 bond, and is awaiting transfer to the Bexar County jail. His status on the bexar County Justice portal indicates a “Virtual Booking” on the second-degree felony charge.
According to the arrest affidavit obtained by San Antonio police, Gates was traveling southbound on dafoste Avenue at a high rate of speed in a 2014 mercedes when he failed to navigate a 90-degree turn. Stanley Walker described the scene, stating, “It came straight down this street going 50 or 60 miles an hour, jumped the curb, didn’t hit his brakes, didn’t try to stop. There were no skid marks in the street.” The vehicle went airborne, striking Walker and projecting her into the home.
Witnesses attempted to prevent Gates from leaving the scene, but he allegedly told them he was a felon and had been drinking before attempting to drive away. Witnesses described him as a light-skinned Black male wearing distinctive gold-framed glasses. Detectives were able to confirm this description through body-worn camera footage from previous traffic stops involving Gates and the same Mercedes. The affidavit also reveals that Gates lives approximately one-half mile from the crash site.
Beyond seeking justice for his mother, Stanley Walker is pleading with the city’s Public Works Department to address the dangerous curve on Dafoste Avenue. He reports that this is the third such incident at the location. “I call and call and call,and they said they’re gonna escalate this and do that and do that,but nothing else has happened,” he said. “They haven’t put any barricades up. They haven’t done anything, so we’re not sure it can happen any time. We just have to keep a car parked here to kind of block the way.”
The Public Works Department has stated they completed an evaluation of Dafoste and will install curve warning signs by early March. They also acknowledged the family’s claim that a hedge previously providing some protection was removed in 2023 during sidewalk construction.
Stanley Walker’s message to the Public Works Department is direct: “It doesn’t take much. it won’t take a million dollars. I don’t know how
