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This story was reported by Ellen Yan, Nicole Fuller, Sandra Peddie, Víctor Manuel Ramos and Stefanie Dazio. It was written by Dazio.
Evelyn Rodriguez, who became a national voice against MS-13 gang violence after her teenage daughter was beaten to death in 2016, was fatally injured Friday by an SUV in Brentwood after a fight with the driver.
Rodriguez, 50, was beaten at Ray Court, near Stahley Street, Brentwood, less than two hours before the day before his murdered daughter and two years to the day after the discovery of the body of the teenager. Rodriguez was pronounced dead at Southside Hospital in Bay Shore, police said.
The murders of 16-year-old girl Kayla Cuevas and her 15-year-old friend Nisa Mickens by MS-13 members with bats and machetes led to a massive crackdown on the Long Island gang. Rodriguez met with President Donald Trump, who tweeted a statement Friday night and was a guest of the White House at his State of the Union address in January.
"My thoughts and prayers are with Evelyn Rodriguez tonight, with her family and friends. #RIPEvelyn, "wrote Trump on Twitter.
Homicide Suffolk Det. Lieutenant Kevin Beyrer said that Rodriguez was arguing with the driver, a relative of a resident of Ray Court, just before his death. He pointed out that Rodriguez's death was unrelated to the gangs.
"The dispute involved the placement of a memorial for his daughter Kayla," Beyrer said. The parent started to leave and hit Rodriguez, the police said.
The investigators are working with the district attorney's office to determine whether to file a complaint against the driver, he said, refusing to identify him. The police are also examining the images of the incident by News 12 Long Island.
"The driver of the car stopped, called 911 and cooperated," Beyrer said.
Rodriguez, who spoke to Newsday by phone Thursday afternoon, said the anniversary week of his daughter 's death was a "tour de force" of emotions.
She spoke about the candlelight vigil she was preparing for the teens, near the site where girls' bodies were found within 24 hours of each other.
"Everyone brings a candle and a balloon to remember Kayla and Nisa," Rodriguez said. "It's a fight that I must continue to make sure that all communities are safe."
Rodriguez was still focused on promoting better school security and police resources to deal with gangs.
"I think everyone's responsibility is to make sure the community is safe, that our kids are safe – it's a priority," said Rodriguez. "By ensuring that our community is safe and that our children have the right to go to a park, children have the right to go to their friends' homes, children have the right to walk with their friends in their neighborhood. . They should not be afraid. And what happened to Kayla and Nisa, was – I did not shut up – I was going to make sure that the consciousness and what happened to my daughter did not happen to a other family.
Rodriguez's efforts to protect his community took place on Friday night.
Suffolk District Attorney Timothy Sini said Rodriguez had turned his "tragedy into a mission for good".
"She harvested her grief and used it as a catalyst for positive change on behalf of her community and on behalf of that country," Sini said in a statement. "She was a fervent advocate for her hometown of Brentwood and was fearless in her fight to end the MS-13 violence to make sure other parents did not have to." never endure the pain that she endured. "
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo ordered the state police to provide Suffolk police with the necessary assistance to investigate the circumstances of the death of the anti-gang activist. "As a result of the unspeakable tragedy of her daughter's death, Evelyn has shown great courage in devoting herself to disrupting gang violence throughout her community," said the governor in a statement. . MS-13, I'm with his family tonight. "
Representative Peter King (R-Seaford), who was on his way to the memorial when he heard the news, tweeted Friday night: "Prayers for Evelyn Rodriguez, the mother of the MS-13 victim, Kayla Cuevas."
Just like two years ago, screams were heard outside Stacom Street in Rodriguez, one block from where it had been mortally wounded. Friends and family members could be seen hugging each other while people in mourning arrived with flowers.
Elizabeth Alvarado, Mickens' mother, arrived at the scene after the crash. She desperately tried to cross the gang of the crime scene, but members of her family held her back. A few minutes later, she burst into tears and had to be taken away.
Magaly Rivera said that she was friends with Rodriguez since Kayla and her son were young.
"The only thing I know is that my friend is dead," she said. "And at the same place where she lost her daughter."
Suffolk County Director Steve Bellone said Rodriguez "has never stopped fighting".
"From the moment I met Evelyn, I was struck by her incredible courage," said Bellone in a statement. "After her unimaginable loss, she was a strong pillar for her family and community."
Federal prosecutors said Cuevas had clashed with members and associates of MS-13. More than half a dozen suspected gang members who were charged with murdering girls were reportedly looking for rival gang members to kill when they met Cuevas and Mickens.
A spokesman for Richard P. Donoghue, the US District Attorney for the New York East District, said in a statement: "The US Attorney's Office and our law enforcement partners are saddened. to learn the death of Evelyn Rodriguez from MS-13 violence ".
Last year, Rodriguez filed a $ 110-million federal complaint against Brentwood schools, claiming that the district failed to protect his daughter from MS-13 gang members and ignored warnings about repeated threats to the teenager.
In a joint statement, Suffolk police officials hailed the way Rodriguez used the tragedy to help the community. "The death of Evelyn Rodriguez is a real loss for the Suffolk County Police Department," said Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart and Department Head Stuart Cameron. Evelyn turned the tragic loss of her daughter into force violence. "
Hart talked about his personal experience with Rodriguez. "I met Evelyn for the first time with the FBI and I was immediately impressed by her strength and perseverance," Hart said. "I was fortunate to be able to continue working in partnership with her when I joined the Suffolk County Police Department. My minds … [and] prayers are with his family during this heartbreaking time.
Sammy Gonzalez Jr., a Brentwood community supporter and Rodriguez's friend, said she was determined to turn her tragedy into positive change.
"She suffered a lot, and now what?" Said Gonzalez, 57. "She turned a tragedy into a light and did not want that to happen to another girl. She gave her life for that.
Walter Rodriguez, 31, said he was returning from work when he saw a body in the street, not far from where Cuevas' body had been found. Like many others gathered for the vigil, he feared that it was another MS-13 homicide.
"I thought they were back," he said. "It turned out to be something worse."
With Robert Kessler and Tom Brune
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