Ben Simmons' life milestone as the No. 1 overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers in Thursday's NBA Draft has certainly made the Simmons family proud. But in a devastating turn of events just 48 hours later, the Simmons' are reeling in utter despair from the news of Ben's cousin Zachary Simmons' untimely death early Saturday.
According to WCBS News, the 21-year-old was out at a friend's birthday party in Hoboken, N.J. on Friday night when he was struck and killed by a black SUV at 3:30 a.m. Zachary's mother, Monique Steele, said police reported to her the car was going at least 70 miles an hour. “To be speeding enough to kill my child is beyond me,” Steele said.
She continued, "He had just went to the NBA draft for his first cousin — number one draft pick.”
The police have begun their investigation for a suspect, and have yet to make any arrests. Ben Simmons sent multiple tweets of his grief for his cousin passing away, including a picture of them together at the NBA Draft.
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According to a surveillance video obtained by the Hudson County Sheriff's Office, the murder suspect had allegedly drove this SUV below.
It is described as either a black Cadillac Escalade, Yukon, or Tahoe with a New York license plate. Investigators are currently looking into surveillance footage and pieces of the SUV for more information.
