Three motorcyclists were killed Sunday evening on a state highway in Cochise County when they were struck by a driver suspected of being impaired, authorities say.
The crash happened about 6 p.m. south of the town of St. David, about 60 miles southeast of Tucson, the state Department of Public Safety said in a news release.
An unidentified 41-year-old Huachuca City man was driving east on Arizona 80, about eight miles south of St. David, when he crossed the center-striped median and collided with the motorcycles, the release said.
Two riders were declared dead at the crash scene.
They were: Bennie Melvin Eugene Dansby, 40, of Glendale, who was riding a black Harley-Davidson motorcycle; and Anthony Odell Davis, 37, of Maricopa, who also was riding a black Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
The third motorcyclist struck, James Maurice Samuel, 55, of Maricopa, was riding a black-and-red Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Samuel was taken to a Tucson hospital where he died later, the release said.
The driver of the SUV was taken to a Tucson hospital with injuries that are not life-threatening, the release said.
“Impairment is suspected, and criminal charges are pending the investigation’s completion,” the release said.
