Tucker, GA — Community members gathered at Brockett Rd in Tucker on Thursday evening for a candlelight vigil in honor of Kuldip Kaur, 56, who was struck and killed by a car while walking in the neighborhood on June 10.

Neighbors and relatives say that Kaur took daily walks in the area. They also said that drivers on Brockett regularly exceed the speed limit and drive recklessly.

Evidence of the crash, including pieces of a smashed brick mailbox and broken glass, were still on the sidewalk. Some of the family members were wailing in grief as they approached the vigil.

Kaur was of the Sikh faith. About 50 members of the Sikh community gathered on a tan cloth in the front yard for a prayer during the vigil.

While it has not been confirmed by police, community members passed out signs against drunk driving, as they believe that the driver was intoxicated. Gurshuran Singh Pannu, President of the Sikh Study Circle in Stone Mountain, spoke about the dangers of drunk driving. “People who use drugs and alcohol put others’ lives in jeopardy and their own lives in jeopardy too … Sikh tradition strictly prohibits any use of drugs or any kind of intoxication. Nobody deserves this.”

Several neighbors noted that while the speed limit is 40 miles per hour, many drivers go down the street significantly exceeding that speed limit. The site of the crash was also extremely close to the Brockett Elementary school zone.

“The whole community is just in grief and in despair. She was such a nice woman, she would always stop by and say hi. What’s shocking is that it could have been any one of us, people drive way too fast down this road all the time and we’re hoping that something comes out of this, that Tucker maybe implements some other ways to slow people down. It’s scary to think that a mom is never going to be able to attend her daughter’s wedding,” said Feroza Syed, who lives in the neighborhood.

“I think we need to slow Brockett down,” said Jessica O’Brien, who was the first on the scene of the crash. “However, that looks, whether it’s speed bumps or just a mobile speedometer, just to remind people to go the right speed. Nothing’s stopping people from going as fast as they’d like, and there’s no police presence.”

Dr. Lois Ricci, a representative of Tucker’s Lifelong Community program, is also concerned that Brockett Road has become “a speedway.” She said that when she drives 40 miles per hour to follow the speed limit, cars often pass her. She claims that some neighbors have moved away due to the serious crashes that have happened in the area. She said she has repeatedly notified police, including the police captain, but that not much action has been taken. One of the issues lies in that Brockett Road is a DeKalb County road, not a road of the city of Tucker.

Tucker mayor Frank Auman was in attendance, as well as Council Member Matt Robbins.

“I’m here to be with the family,” said Matt Robbins. “We are really shocked by something like this. [The police] are still gathering information.”

Robbins said that he had heard from residents about the traffic on Brockett Road. “Any of the streets in Tucker are very, very busy streets … We really need to continue emphasizing personal responsibility, and as was said, making sure you don’t operate a vehicle if you’re drinking.”

The community hopes that in the wake of Kaur’s death, the county will take action to improve traffic safety in Tucker.

“Both [Kuldip Kaur’s] sister and her kids are devastated,” said Harsharan Sahdra, Kaur’s niece. “We can mourn, but there’s nothing we can do to bring her back.”

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