Family Grieves 25-Year-Old Killed in Brooklyn Park Hit-and-Run

To the public, she might just look like a tragic statistic: a 25-year-old pedestrian struck and killed on a busy highway early Tuesday morning. But to those who knew and loved her, A’miah Armstrong-Walker was a force of pure light.

“There’s no words to express how you feel after losing a child,” said her mother, Amanda Walker-Hunter. “A’miah was the perfect daughter.”

Armstrong-Walker was killed on Tuesday morning along Highway 252 in Brooklyn Park. In the wake of the tragedy, her family is choosing to remember a vibrant, generous young woman who brought immense joy to everyone around her.

“She would make you laugh if you were sad,” Walker-Hunter said. “She was an ear when you needed it. She was a shoulder to cry on. She loved her family.”

Growing up, Armstrong-Walker’s world revolved around her family, a desire to enjoy every single day and basketball.

Her father, Reginald Armstrong, fondly recalled the hours they spent together sharpening her skills on local basketball courts.

“This is about 13, 14 years old, she just started playing basketball at that point,” Armstrong said. “We used to walk to the park. [I] had her dribble with her left hand to the park, dribble with her right hand back. We’d do 100 jump shots a day.”

As she grew into adulthood, that vibrant spirit only deepened.

“She just loved life, and that’s what was taken from us,” Walker-Hunter said.

A’miah Armstrong-Walker embracing her father, Reginald Armstrong.

The Investigation and Charges

According to Minnesota State Patrol investigators, Armstrong-Walker was a passenger in a vehicle traveling southbound on Highway 252 near 73rd Avenue at around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday. An argument broke out inside the vehicle, prompting her to get out.

While she was standing on the driver’s side of the car near the fog line, she was struck by a passing vehicle. The driver failed to stop.

On Thursday, authorities charged Ryant Freeman, 23, of Brooklyn Park with criminal vehicular homicide for operating the vehicle that struck her and leaving the scene. Freeman was tracked down and arrested at a local gas station a day after the incident.

If convicted, Freeman faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.

The hit-and-run incident happened on Highway 252 in Brooklyn Park near 73rd Avenue N.

Moving Forward with Love

While the legal process moves forward, Armstrong-Walker’s family is left grappling with an unbearable void.

“You left my baby on the side of a road,” Walker-Hunter said. “There’s nothing that can take that pain away.”

For now, the family is taking life step-by-step. They refuse to let this tragedy define the woman they loved so deeply, choosing instead to carry her legacy of kindness forward.

“So I’m going to take the love that I gave her, the love she gave back, and continue to give love,” Walker-Hunter said.

A’miah Armstrong-Walker (top left) surrounded by family members. A’miah’s mother, Amanda, is on the lower right.

Related: Woman Killed in Brooklyn Park Hit-and-Run Crash: State Patrol

Brooklyn Park