Dalai Lama’s nephew, Jigme Norbu, killed in US

A nephew of the Dalai Lama was killed Monday evening after he was hit by a car while on a "Walk for Tibet" on a highway in northeast Florida.

"Yes, it is true unfortunately," said Tempa Tshering, a representative of the Dalai Lama in New Delhi, India.

Jigme Norbu, 45, was walking southbound along A1A from St. Augustine to West Palm Beach to mark the 50th anniversary of the Tibetan rebellion against China, which ultimately forced his uncle, the spiritual leader of Tibet, into exile.

He was hit by a car driven by Keith O'Dell, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. O'Dell, 31, was questioned by state troopers, but he was not charged at the scene.

Norbu was just a few minutes from ending the first leg of his walk when he was struck, according to the Ambassadors for World Peace website.

He had several other people accompanying him on his trek, but they had apparently gone ahead to prepare for dinner and overnight accommodations.

Norbu, who lived in Bloomington, Indiana, was the son of the Dalai Lama's late brother, Thubten Jigme Norbu, who died in 2008 at age 86.