Philadelphia

Woman Dies After Fight Over Grill in Philly Parking Spot

Family members said she was a devoted volunteer at a community garden.

A Philadelphia woman died Friday after a fight with a neighbor over a parking spot, where the woman had set up a grill. 

"It's the hardest thing I've had to deal with in my life," said Christian Rosa. He and other family members identified Rosa's mother, Lourdes Estremera, as the woman who died.

"My mom was a great person, and she'd take the shirt off her back for a stranger if she knew you were cold," Rosa said.

He said she had three sons and several grandchildren, to whom she was devoted.

"My mom, she didn't deserve it. We wanted to enjoy a lot more life with her," Rosa said.

The fight started Friday night. A woman wanted to park her car on North Jessup Street. She found Estremera, her neighbor, using a grill in the space she wanted.

The two women began fighting. Police were called at about 8:30 p.m. and broke up the fight.

Later, as they interviewed Estremera, she "became unresponsive," police said. By the time medics arrived at 10 p.m. Estremera was dead.

Authorities haven't determined a cause of death and have not said if the other woman will face charges. Because she hasn't been charged with a crime, police haven't released the other woman's name.

Her family said Estremera was a devoted volunteer who loved the neighborhood's community garden, and donated time and garden supplies to help young people tend to it.

"It's just crazy that we're still dealing with things like this, nowadays, good people getting caught up in violence," Rosa said.

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