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Driver can hit, run but can’t hide

Police using video to zero in on suspect involved in fatal pedestrian collision

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2024/08/08/police-zero-in-on-...

POLICE said they are closing in on a suspect in a hit-and-run that killed a pedestrian near The Forks early Thursday as officers canvassed the area for witnesses and additional surveillance footage.

Although police haven’t identified the person responsible, investigators have “a good idea on the general type of vehicle that was involved, based on surveillance video and some roadway evidence,” Patrol Sgt. Brian Neumann said.

“Ultimately, there will be evidence on that vehicle of this collision, so when we obtain that vehicle, we should be able to gather the evidence necessary to complete our investigation.”

Officers responded to Queen Elizabeth Way (Main Street) and Mayfair Avenue at about 3:30 a.m. A seriously injured man was found and taken to hospital in critical condition but later died.

The preliminary investigation indicated the man was walking across Queen Elizabeth Way when he fell and was struck by a southbound vehicle as he struggled to get up. The driver took off, police said.

Neumann, who co-ordinates collision investigations, said officers rerouted traffic to gather evidence from the scene.

Investigators have yet to release information about the vehicle involved in the collision but will provide an update to the public when they are ready, the patrol sergeant said.

“What we are having to do is just expand our knowledge of what we have so far, so that when we want to be able to take that action, we have sufficient (evidence) to effect an arrest or bring a person in for an interview,” he said.

“I’ve got investigators out who are viewing video and compiling their opinion on what they are finding… Especially in an urban environment, we tend to be able to follow them throughout their movement in the city until we get (the suspect) identified.”

Speaking generally, Neumann said suspects identified in hit-and-run investigations can range from motorists with a clean driving record to people with criminal records.

In some cases, drivers panic after a collision and flee the scene. Later, they turn themselves in to the police. Other times, motorists try to cover their tracks by destroying evidence or getting their vehicles washed, he said.

Impairment can be a contributing factor that leads to a collision or influences a person’s decision to flee, he said.

He urged anybody involved in a hit-and-run collision to do the right thing and come forward to police.

“You may be wrong and you may be (held) accountable but you have to step up and take that. Just like you would expect someone else to do that if it happened to you or someone in your family,” he said.

“In the case of something like today’s incident… you’re just compounding the problem. It’s not going to get easier.”

Investigators ask anybody who was travelling near Mayfair Avenue and Queen Elizabeth Way around the time to call investigators, particularly if they have video footage, Neumann said.

Investigators can be reached at 204986-7085tel:204986-7085 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 204-786-8477tel:204-786-8477 (TIPS).

Manitoba Public Insurance recorded 384 reports of hit-and-run collisions that resulted in injuries in Winnipeg since 2022, including 92 incidents as of July 31.

Nine people were killed in hit-and-runs during the same period, including three this year.

The numbers do not include Thursday’s fatality, MPI said.

One hit-and-run investigation in which a person was injured remains unsolved from 2023, Neumann said.

A cyclist was crossing Notre Dame Avenue and Isabel Street on the evening of June 30. The vehicle fled the scene before the police arrived.

An empty but heavily damaged grey 2007 Pontiac G6 was later found in the 100 block of Juno Street. It was subsequently learned that four men were observed fleeing the vehicle, police reported.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.camailto:tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca