Two women were killed Monday night after a white BMW struck them as they crossed a street in Stanton, a crash that left friends grieving for Gabriela Amadilia Cruz, a veteran who had recently married and was raising a young son.

Amadilia Noemy, 61, and Cruz, 34, were hit around 9 p.m. on Cerritos Avenue near Magnolia Avenue, according to investigators. Deputies who responded found both women injured at the scene, and both later died at the hospital.

Cruz’s death has cut through a tight circle of co-workers and friends who knew her as someone building a new life. Phillip Sanchez said she was kind and had “just recently got married,” calling the loss “just a sad, sad situation.” Cruz had married in February, worked in Fullerton and served in the Army. Her family said she and her wife have a young son, and Noemy had been visiting from Guatemala when the crash happened.

Orange County Sheriff's Department investigators said the women were not using a crosswalk when they were struck. Neighbors, though, said there is not one close by and people commonly cross there anyway. One resident, Preston, said the pattern has repeated for years and that accidents happen about every eight months in the neighborhood.

The driver stayed at the scene and was cooperating with authorities, and DUI is not suspected. No one has been arrested, leaving the key questions unanswered: what led the BMW to strike the women, and whether prosecutors will decide to file charges as the investigation continues.