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AUSTINTOWN -- A pedestrian struck by a hit-and-run driver Monday night on Burkey Road has died from his injuries, Austintown police announced Friday.
The crash occurred around 8 p.m. near Western Place. The man was taken to St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital in critical condition. Police have not said when he died.
Police said they have possession of the vehicle believed to have been involved in the crash and have identified a person of interest who was driving it.
The vehicle is being examined for evidence, and the investigation remains open.
The police report, made available Friday, states that officers found David Burford, 45, of New Road in Austintown, lying in the eastbound lane of Burkey Road, unresponsive. The report does not specify the type of injuries Burford sustained in the crash.
The report states multiple witnesses provided accounts of the hit-and-run. One woman said she was driving behind the involved SUV and saw it run a red light at Raccoon and Burkey roads, heading east on Burkey. She said after it swerved, she backed off because of the driver's reckless behavior. She said she saw Burford in the road as she approached Western Place.
Another driver told police he saw a silver vehicle cross over the median line of Burkey, nearly hitting his fiancee, who was in the car in front of him, then almost hitting his car as well before speeding off.
Police later received a report that the SUV also had gone off the road and hit a mailbox farther east on Burkey Road.
A nearby resident did not see the crash but saw the SUV swerve and slow down briefly before continuing. Another nearby resident provided police with doorbell camera video of the crash.
Austintown police Lt. Jeffrey Churilla said an auto part recovered at the scene helped investigators identify the vehicle, and the assistance of the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles helped to identify potential addresses that matched the suspected vehicle. He said the first address they tried was a hit.
Police located the vehicle on Youngstown’s West Side. Investigators initially believed they were looking for a dark gray SUV with damage to its right front, side and possibly its right-side tires and rims.
Churilla previously said investigators had identified a suspect but still needed to confirm who was driving before presenting charges.
“There’s still a lot more to go on; we need to confirm who the driver was,” he said. “Still quite a few steps to go through before I present charges.”
No additional details will be released while the investigation continues, police said.