Family of Denver hit-and-run victim asks public to help police find driver responsible

A young woman is now unconscious in a hospital, the victim of a hit-and-run in Denver. Now her family, along with police, are hoping to find the driver.

Gabriela Silva is known by different names by different groups. Her brother, Armando Silva, calls her Gabriela, but the rest of their family has a nickname for her.

"We would always say 'esta chiquitita,' you have to be careful. And so we would say 'Tita' like chiquitita. So ever since then she's been "Tita," like 'the little one,'" said Armando Silva.

He says his sister was the glue that holds their family together.

"Super smart, brave, super kind. Always checking in on all of us. Like, has a great group of friends," said Armando Silva.

One of those friends is Zyler Pranke, who says his friend "Gabi" Silva is the kind of friend everyone wants.

"I've never met a person who didn't like her," said Pranke. "She always does the right thing. Always looking out for other people. Loves everybody she meets."

Pranke and her brother say they can't believe what has happened to her.

"She was always yelling at my dad, 'Put your seatbelt on' and 'Hey, why are you speeding?' and always taking care of everything. For a really cautious person to be in this situation, it doesn't make sense," said Silva.

They say Sunday, just after 2 a.m., she was hit while crossing the street near Blake Street and 22nd Street. Denver police say a red Lexus sedan hit a pedestrian near the crosswalk there at 2:05, then fled the scene.

Her family says Gabriela has been unconscious in the ICU ever since, and now her community is doing everything they can, including raising money to make sure she has a smooth recovery.

"We just wanted to give the family immediate relief," said Pranke.

But mostly they want "Tita," "Gabriela," or "Gabi" Silva back. And to hold the person responsible for hurting her accountable

"It's really duele, you know what I mean?" said Silva. "Show a little empathy, and if you know of or can help us track down the individual that did this, it would bring a lot of peace to us. And so, we just want Gabi to be healthy and be good again."