A kind-hearted Dallas man was fatally struck by a carjacking suspect while he was out getting food for his beloved Chihuahua. Jose 'Joey' Angel Avila, 67, was walking on North Collett Avenue on his way to buy a bag of dog food for Chanel from a local pet store in East Dallas when he was struck and killed by Tyrell Jones, 25, on April 16, prosecutors say.
Avila was four blocks from his home and regularly made the walk to the pet store. On his way, he would stop to talk to his neighbors, his family told The Dallas Morning News. Avila was pinned between a tree and the stolen car after Jones allegedly struck him, FOX 4 News reported. He was rushed to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Just down the block, Jones had allegedly stolen the SUV from a female Good Samaritan who stopped to see if he was alright after he was found lying in the middle of the street, surveillance showed. Jones had allegedly run down the roadway before falling into the roadway, where he lay until the woman stopped. He then suddenly got up and ran toward her vehicle, grabbing onto it as she drove away.
He was later flung off the vehicle, ripping off the door handle, witness Gina Carpio told Fox 4 News. After getting up again, he approached her car again while she blared her horn before allegedly carjacking her and taking off down the road. 'She tries to get out of the car, pushes the door open, then I think he kicked her in the stomach, got in her car and drove,' Carpio told Fox 4 News. 'And I mean, it was the craziest drive you've ever seen.'
Jose 'Joey' Angel Avila, 67, was walking to a pet store to buy his dog Chanel dog food when he was struck and killed by a carjacking suspect. Avila volunteered at Prism Health, a community health center. He started volunteering in the 1990s when it was still called AIDS Arms and he upped his volunteer time after his partner died in 2002.
Jones was arrested and charged with murder and robbery. Police noticed he was under the influence at the time of the crash. Witness said Avila didn't have time to turn around before he was hit, they told his brother Paul, The Dallas Morning News said. 'The Good Samaritans that rendered aid before paramedics got there, I just wish I could give them all hugs, because if he did have a moment before he passed, he wasn't alone,' Paul said.
Avila's family remembers him as a person who brought others immense joy and helped anyone he could. He spent his career working with the LGBT+ community, including volunteering at Prism Health, a local community health center. He started working there when it was still called AIDS Arms in the 1990s, the center's director Januari Fox told the outlet. During his time there, Avila worked as a volunteer, a board member, and a chair for the center's patient advisory council. He worked hard to care for the patients that arrived there and to give them a warm person to talk to.
'That's just the kind of person Joey was, like no task was too small, no task was too big. He always showed up for everything,' Fox told The Dallas Morning News. Jones was arrested and charged with murder and robbery. Jones was seen on surveillance footage laying in the middle of the street until someone stopped to ask if he was okay. After allegedly carjacking the vehicle, he crashed it up the road, pinning Avila between the car and a tree.
'An angel is a very appropriate name for him to have.' Avila started to volunteer even more at the center after his partner died in 2002, his brother said. Avila also volunteered at Take Back Oak Lawn, the Dallas Police Department's volunteer crime stoppers, and other local charities over the year, his family said. 'He didn't look for a pat on the back from anybody for all the charity work that he did,' Paul told the outlet.
While cleaning out his apartment, his family found loads of certificates and letters highlighting his good deeds. 'There's a lot that we didn't know because he was so modest,' Paul said. After his death, his brother completed his trip to the pet store for him. After typing in Avila's phone number, store staff recognized it. Paul learned his brother would bring staff cookies and goodies from time to time.
His brother Paul completed his brother's trip to the pet store, where he learned his brother often brought the staff treats. Avila often walked to the pet store, where he would catch up with neighbors as he went. The family remembers Avila for the joy he brought others. 'They were always surprised when he came in because he had goodies for all of them, even the employers not on schedule,' Paul recalled them telling him.
The family has started a GoFundMe to help pay for funeral expenses. It has raised $9,675 of its $10,000 goal as of Friday afternoon. 'If you knew him, you know how kind and loved he was,' the family wrote.
