Rain washes away vigil plans for Atlanta father killed in hit-and-run

Police still searching for fatal hit-and-run driver

It has been a difficult two weeks for family and friends of Tavarius Ridgeater following the hit and run crash that took his life. While his family is now bracing for his homegoing service Wednesday, they say their grief is far from over without the person who hit him behind bars.

ATLANTA - Atlanta police say the search for the driver who hit and killed a man on Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway late last month continues. As loved ones of Tavarius Ridgeway prepare for his funeral, they are pleading for anyone with information to come forward.

It’s been a difficult two weeks for family and friends of Ridgeway following the Nov. 24 hit-and-run crash that took his life. While his family is now bracing for his home going service Wednesday, they say their grief is far from over without the person who hit him behind bars.

Heavy rain Monday washed away plans for a vigil honoring the life of the 37-year-old.

Tavarius Ridgeway

"It’s just heartbreaking," Joy Wyatt, a family member told FOX 5, "It’s just really heartbreaking."

The pain loved ones of the father and former Atlanta firefighter are now dealing with is still very much present.

"The hardest thing is waking up and reliving that you can’t speak with him anymore," said friend, Eric Hamilton.

Atlanta police are looking for this white sedan with a sunroof and dark tinted windows in connection to a fatal hit-and-run. (Credit: Atlanta Police Department) (Supplied)

According to an incident report, Ridgeway was trying to cross a portion of the parkway that didn’t have a nearby crosswalk just before 10 p.m. That’s when a vehicle believed to be a white sedan struck him, and kept driving.

"For someone to just do him like that without stopping like they could not have known the type of person that they took away from us," said Wyatt.

Ridgeway's friends and family gathered Monday night at his parent’s home in Fairburn as they visited the funeral home to view his body.

"The situation is very unreal for us just coping with this and moving forward with the reality of it is very, very difficult," said friend Cortez McClain.

Friends described Ridgeway as the kind of man who would give you his last.

"He was a father, a brother, a son, a significant other," Wyatt told FOX 5.

His family hopes that is enough of a reason for anyone with information on the crash to speak up.

It’s unclear whether there are any plans to reschedule the vigil, but Ridgeway's funeral is set for Wednesday.

Police are asking people to be on the lookout for a white sedan with damage to the front.

If you have any information that can help, give detectives a call.