Woman dies
in hit and run

Gloria Brooks is remembered
for her friendliness; police
ask help finding the driver

By Leila Fujimori and Rod Antone
Gloria Brooks left her Waianae house at 3 a.m. for an hour-long run along Farrington Highway. When the 56-year-old did not return by 4:20 a.m., her boyfriend, Dwight, felt something was wrong.

He began his run early and was stopped by a bus driver who told him, "I think that's your friend who got hit."

Brooks' body lay along Farrington Highway fronting the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center. Police let Dwight through to the scene, and he hugged and kissed Brooks one last time.

Brooks was pronounced dead at the scene after apparently being struck by a white flatbed truck that fled the scene.

Witnesses said they heard the crash at 3:31 a.m., about 47 feet west of Mailiilii Road. When they turned to look, they saw a driver in a flatbed pickup truck speeding away and the victim on the ground.

Brooks' strict exercise routine was "like an addiction," said Dwight, who would not give his last name.

Lisa Thomas, a friend and assistant at Curves, said Brooks looked younger than her years and was fit. She always lifted everyone's spirits and was kindhearted and friendly.

Brooks ran marathons, including the past Honolulu Marathon, and garnered some first-place medals in her age bracket. She and Dwight planned on running the Hilo Marathon next month.

Brooks was a careful runner and wore a reflector in front, Dwight said, but had her back to oncoming traffic when she was hit.

"She was the world to me," said Dwight, her boyfriend of seven years. "God took one good woman from me -- the best."

He described her as someone who was kind, always nice, bubbly, pleasant, who could talk to anyone.

Brooks worked as a secretary at AMSEC, a government contractor, near the airport.

She left behind a son, an Army National Guardsman stationed in Kuwait; a daughter on the mainland; and parents who live in Kailua.

Police want help in identifying the truck driver who may have been involved in the hit and run.

Traffic investigator Sgt. John Agno said Brooks was jogging west on the sidewalk when the vehicle hit her. Agno said there is no evidence to indicate the driver attempted to slow down before impact.

The vehicle is described as a white truck, with wooden stakes on the flatbed, and either red- or maroon-colored lettering on the side, likely the company name, Agno said.

The vehicle's side mirror broke off upon impact and was left behind at the scene. Agno said the truck's hood was probably damaged from striking the victim, and asks that auto repair and body shops call police about repair jobs to similar vehicles.

Anyone with any information on this case is asked to call officer Jaime Louis-Kahanu at 529-3499 or CrimeStoppers at 955-8300.