In front of the new San Joaquin Delta College marquee a vigil was held for a young woman killed while walking their service dog in Stockton.
Jazmine Floris, often referred to as Jay, 23, was walking their service dog Thursday night on Pacific and Yokuts avenues on the sidewalk near the sign when they were struck by a vehicle.
Within seconds, the driver had fled the scene.
Floris was critically injured and their dog, Mustang, had run off to Target in a nearby shopping center. The service dog had assisted Jay with periodic seizures they would face as a result of a work injury they suffered years ago.
Stockton police officers responded to the area for reports of a vehicle collision involving a pedestrian. Floris was taken to a hospital, where they later died from their injuries.
Although 27-year-old Jamaraqui Burks, the alleged hit-and-run driver, fled the scene, Delta College police officers were able to locate him.
He was taken to a hospital, treated, and booked into the San Joaquin County Jail. He is set to make his first court appearance on Monday.
Learning of Jazmine’s death
Prior to the vigil held on Friday night, people could be seen walking from the Delta College parking lot to the scene where the hit-and-run took place carrying balloons, candles, and bouquets of flowers.
In the crowds of people walking to the area was Lillianna Herring, Floris’s sister, with Mustang walking beside her.
“She was the kind of person who literally brightened up a room when she walked in it,” Herring said. “She always had a joke to tell … she was just always there for anybody that needed her.”
Some of Floris’s family members and friends were made aware of what happened to their loved one through a Facebook post, but they didn’t know who the victim was at the time.
“Sadly, there was a post on Facebook about something happening to a young woman at Delta and her German Shepherd running off, hiding … I started calling, trying to get ahold of the police station and I couldn’t get anybody,” Herring said. “So, I called the hospital and was told she was there.”
Tammy Reyes, a close family friend, said she, too, had learned of what took place through a Facebook post.
Reyes said she was at dinner with co-workers and they came across the post and began discussing it, but they thought it was an older woman.
“Then come to find out, it was somebody close to you. It’s like, shock,” Reyes said.
Stockton mourns Jazmine
On the road near where the vigil took place, tiny pieces of shattered glass still remained, as well as visible tire marks from the driver.
One side of the Delta College marquee was destroyed, showcasing a visible pipe that was underneath the design.
Herring said she was told that the driver was driving erratically and lost control, causing him to go onto the median, striking her sister and the Delta sign.
Just as the sun began to go down and the sky became dark, yellow lights from candles illuminated.
While some kept tiny candles in their hands and tears ran down their faces, others set their candle down near the marquette with flowers and a photo displayed of Jay.
Near the front of the vigil, Herring laid down on the grass distraught with her sister’s dog. Situated in the back was a crowd of Floris’s co-workers – Floris worked at the organization PREVAIL in Stockton as a crisis advocate.
PREVAIL, previously known as Women’s Center Youth and Family Services, is a primary provider in San Joaquin County that gives free, confidential services and shelters. The organization is specifically designed to meet the needs of homeless and runaway youth and victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking, according to their website.
Leanna Buck and Maria Escudero, co-workers of Floris, described Floris as a great child advocate and counselor.
“She was a bright, loving, caring person who always wanted to help, always there when we needed that extra hand,” Escudero said. “She’ll always be in our hearts, there at PREVAIL.”
Buck said since Floris and Mustang came as a pair she felt that they had lost two coworkers.
A GoFundMe account was set up to assist with cremation costs. Donations can be made at https://www.gofundme.com/f/swd6z-help-us-lay-jay-to-rest.
