HOUSTON — A man and woman were killed and two children were hurt Sunday in a crash in southwest Houston.
It happened just after 8 p.m. along Richmond Avenue, just east of Hillcroft Avenue.
According to HPD, a black Toyota Camry was heading westbound on Richmond when he slammed into the back of a gray Toyota Scion that was carrying a man, a woman and two children.
The man, and the woman -- who police said was 30 years old -- died at the scene. Their names haven't been released.
The two children, ages 5 and 10, were in the back seat of the vehicle. They were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Shamika Williams witnessed the crash and instantly knew how serious things were. She said she saw the man in the front passenger seat not breathing and the woman in the driver's seat.
"I just kept telling her, you stay with me. You look at me," Williams told the woman.
When the woman stopped breathing, Williams said her motherly instincts kicked in. She quickly got the children out of the wrecked vehicle and went to comfort them.
Williams said the children told her that the woman in the car was their mother and the man was a relative. Williams got on Instagram Live that night with the hopes of connecting the children with other family members.
"I need you to be a big sister, OK?" Williams could be heard saying on Instagram Live.
She said she held the 10-year-old girl's hand and told her that they were going to get through this.
"I'm not going to leave y'all," Williams said. "Hold my hand."
She stayed with them until the paramedics arrived.
For Williams, this tragedy struck a nerve because she lost her dad 22 years ago to gun violence. She was just 10 years old, like the young girl she comforted.
Williams said she's hardly slept since the crash and it's something she can't stop thinking about.
"I want everybody to wrap it all around the baby for the rest of their life because I don't want them to experience what I experienced," Williams said.
The 19-year-old driver who allegedly caused the crash was taken to a hospital. Police said he didn't appear to be impaired.
No charges have been filed and the investigation continues.