Mother of MS-13 Victim Fatally Struck by SUV at Memorial Site

BRENTWOOD, NY – Evelyn Rodriguez, the mother of a teen who authorities say was murdered by MS-13 gang members in 2016, died Friday after being struck by an SUV while at a memorial service for her daughter in Brentwood.

According to Suffolk Police, Rodriguez was involved in a dispute on Ray Court, near Stahley Street, with the driver of a 2016 Nissan Rouge regarding the placement of a memorial dedicated to Rodriguez’s daughter, 16-year-old Kayla Cuevas, and 15-year-old Nisa Mickens, who were murdered near the location on Sept. 13, 2016. During the dispute, the driver, who is a relative of a resident of Ray Court, attempted to leave the scene and her SUV struck Rodriguez, police said.

Rodriguez, of Brentwood, was transported to Southside Hospital in Bay Shore where she was pronounced dead. The driver, who remained at the scene and called 911, was not injured.

In video footage aired by News 12, Rodriguez and an unidentified man can be seen confronting a woman in a white SUV seconds before the SUV strikes Rodriguez.

"Evelyn Rodriguez has passed away," Rep. Peter King, who was on his way to the memorial when Rodriguez was struck, wrote on Twitter at 5:34 p.m. "Terrible news. RIP."

No criminal charges have been filed, but Homicide Squad detectives are investigating, police said.

Rodriguez attended President Donald Trump's State of the Union address last January.

""I'm not here for anybody's political gain," she told the New York Times. "I just want what's right to be done. Everybody should put their political agenda aside and think about what's going on in our country."

In a tweet Friday night, Trump wrote, "My thoughts and prayers are with Evelyn Rodriguez this evening, along with her family and friends. #RIPEvelyn"

Rep. Lee Zeldin called Rodriguez's death a "terribly shocking loss of a national voice and powerful advocate."

"Evelyn was filled with tremendous strength, passion and commitment to combating a brutal gang here on Long Island and nationally," Zeldin said in the post on his Facebook page.

Suffolk County District Attorney Tim Sini said Rodriguez was able to turn the tragedy of losing her daughter 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 this country," Sini said. "She was a fierce advocate for her hometown of Brentwood and was fearless in her fight to put an end to the violence caused by MS-13 to ensure that other parents never have to endure the pain she suffered."

Main photo of Evelyn Rodriguez provided by the White House