A Lufkin girl critically injured in a hit-and-run wreck Friday night died Monday afternoon.

Gracie Massey, 14, died at 12:37 p.m. at a Houston-area hospital. Massey was flown there for further treatment following the incident, Lufkin Police spokesperson Jessica Pebsworth confirms.

The Lufkin Police Department is continuing its search for the driver of a “dark colored SUV or van” that struck Massey on Pershing Ave. and then fled the scene.

Massey and two other juveniles were walking west on Pershing Avenue in the center turn lane when a vehicle approached them from behind also traveling west. The juveniles told officers that because the vehicle was in the turn lane, they believed it was going to slow down and turn before reaching them.

When they realized the vehicle was not turning, they said, they ran to the other side of the street and yelled to Massey to run. The vehicle struck Massey before she could move out of the way. It happened in the 1100 block of Pershing near the intersection of Schuller St. at around 10:30 p.m. Friday.

“We ask anyone who lives in the area with a surveillance camera to check their footage from around the time of the accident,” Pebsworth said. “A detective has made contact with several businesses in the area but as of yet, we have not been successful in retrieving video of the suspect vehicle.”

Anyone with information on the driver’s identity is asked to call the Department at 936-633-0356 or Crime Stoppers at 936-639-TIPS.

https://www.ktre.com/2022/04/18/14-year-old-lufkin-girl-dies-following-friday-hit-run/