After an outpouring of support, the daughter of a Long Beach woman killed by a hit-and-run driver is extending an open invitation for neighbors to attend the celebration of life for her mother, Song Tate.

It just made sense, said daughter Sonya Rose. She has leaned heavily on the people around her while police search for the driver who hit 72-year-old Tate last month on Long Beach Boulevard.

Without their support, “I wouldn’t be where I’m at mentally right now,” she said.

So, this Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Rose’s family will hold a memorial for her mother, and anyone who would like to attend should message her via Instagram for the location.

Visitors are encouraged to wear emerald green, her mom’s favorite color.

After her mom’s death, Rose has heard from countless neighbors who have come by to pay their respects. Most said they knew Tate from her habit of making sure people around the neighborhood had enough to eat.

Recently, while getting lunch at StormBurger in North Long Beach, Rose stumbled into more support.

One of the store managers, whom she had worked with previously, offered to put together a fundraiser on her behalf. Details for that event are forthcoming.

Rose is still piecing together what happened on the night her mother died. Police have not caught the driver, but recently released an image of the suspected vehicle.

Security camera footage showed the car in a parking lot near Willow Street and Long Beach Boulevard before the crash, which happened at about 8:52 p.m. on Sept. 5, according to Long Beach police.

The driver was heading eastbound on Willow Street before turning southbound onto Long Beach Boulevard. After the crash, the car — a silver Ford Mustang with a black convertible top, black stripes and black rims — was last spotted heading southbound on Pasadena Avenue near 20th Street.

Police initially said Tate was hit by the car, then struck by a Metro train. After reviewing footage of the crash, detectives have now walked that back, instead saying the damage was done by a car traveling at high speed, Rose said.

Long Beach police released this image of the vehicle they believe struck 72-year-old Song Tate.

A detective told her that one angle of the crash showed “no car in sight” shortly before the impact, Rose said. Another showed Tate quickly trying to move out of the way before she was struck.

Tate had left home that night to do her usual route: bringing a warm meal to a group of strangers at a nearby smoke shop, then spending time catching up with a friend nearby.

The next morning, Rose found her mother’s dark blue bandana stained with blood in the road.

Tate’s death comes amid a stubborn rise in traffic deaths on Long Beach’s streets.

Flowers and candles are set up for Song Tate, 72, along Long Beach Boulevard just south of 23rd Street on Sept. 21, 2026. Tate was struck by a hit-and-run driver and a Metro Transit Authority train at night on Sept. 5. Photo by Jacob Sisneros.

The city recorded 53 fatal collisions last year, its highest total in more than a decade, and has tallied 38 fatal crashes this year.

That’s more than double the number of homicides in the city this year.

The number of pedestrians alone killed this year, 18, is one more than the number of homicide victims in the city, 17.

Anyone who may have information about the crash that killed Tate is asked to contact LBPD Det. Edwin Paredes at 562-570-5130.