EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – The family identifying El Pasoan Steven Hernandez as the 28-year-old man killed in a crash involving a drunk driver on Sunday, May 21, 2023.
“We need justice, so it doesn’t continue on,” said the mother of Steven Hernandez.
Hernandez’s family and friends gathered at the sight of the crash on Monday to say prayers and release balloons.
The crash happened at the intersection of Edgemere and Joe Battle.
24-year-old Valeria Mena has been arrested and charged with intoxicated manslaughter after police say Mena entered the intersection of Edgemere and Joe Battle at a red light and hit the vehicle that Hernandez was a passenger of.
“She took somebody that meant a lot to a lot of individuals. And it’s sad that she didn’t get the opportunity to meet him because I’m sure if she would have, she would have never drank and drove,” said Felipe Loza a friend of Steven Hernandez.
Court records show that Mena had been arrested twice before for drunk driving in 2020 and 2022.
“It wasn’t her first and it wasn’t her second time this would be her third time I just want her to think what sadness she’s caused to our family,” said Susana Bejarano, Steven Hernandez’s second cousin.
Mena was arrested and booked into the El Paso County Detention Facility under a $76,000 split bond following Sunday’s deadly crash.
