A black SUV hit and killed a woman attempting to cross a busy Clayton County street on foot Friday night, police said.

The driver fled the scene and has not been apprehended.

According to information released by the Clayton County Police Department, 27-year-old Joneboro resident Gayla Murphy was hit around 6:50 p.m. while trying to cross Tara Boulevard near North Avenue.

“The vehicle, which was described as a black SUV, did not stop and continued traveling north on Tara Boulevard,” Sgt. Ashanti Marbury said in an emailed statement. Murphy died at the hospital a short time later.

Anyone with information about the crash should call 770-477-3648. Tipsters can also remain anonymous by calling 770-477-3513 or by sending “CLAYTONPD” and the tip to 274627.

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Fulton DA Fani Willis (center) with Nathan J. Wade (right), the special prosecutor she hired to manage the Trump case and had a romantic relationship with, at a news conference announcing charges against President-elect Donald Trump and others in Atlanta, Aug. 14, 2023. Georgia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, upheld an appeals court's decision to disqualify Willis from the election interference case against Trump and his allies. (Kenny Holston/New York Times)

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