Family of AutoZone employee killed in Northeast Philly crash pleads for driver to surrender

The AutoZone employee who was hit and received severe injuries after a violent accident in Port Richmond died from his injuriesthe police said.

Relatives described Kevin Taylor as a gentle giant, a husband and family man raising three children in the North East.

“No one deserves this, but he certainly didn’t. He didn’t put negative energy into the world,” said Shante Thompson, Taylor’s younger sister.

Thompson says her older brother left for work early last Sunday to make it home in time to watch his beloved Philadelphia Eagles, but that didn’t happen.

“Jaylen and Barkley did their thing on Sunday and he’s out there fighting for his life,” Thompson said.

For a long time, an AutoZone employee was on the job delivering parts, at least according to police four juveniles in a black Dodge Ram ran a red light at Richmond and Venango streets in Port Richmond and crashed into Taylor’s pickup truck at a high rate of speed. A 40-year-old man was hospitalized with serious injuries, he died four days later.

“It’s the scariest thing we’ve ever gone through, the scariest thing,” Thompson said.

At least five other cars were damaged. Home security video shows the three teenagers fleeing by jumping into an SUV that was driving from behind.

“I know the tension was high, the fear and all that, but it was the right thing to do, it was the right thing to do,” said Dennis Thompson, Taylor’s brother.

Taylor’s family is now holding on to each other for support as they plan the funeral. Taylor was an organ donor, and his sister says she finds some comfort in knowing that a part of him will live on in someone else.

“It’s very important because we will be able to know that our brother was a part of something bigger. He was a part of something bigger,” Thompson said.

Community members have been collecting donations for Taylor’s family to help with funeral expenses.

Police say no arrests have been made and they are working to determine if the truck the teenagers were in was stolen.