Police have identified the man struck and killed Thursday night by a hit-and-run driver on Tucson's south side, police said.
44-year-old Bonifacio Salazar died several hours after the crash, said Sgt. Kimberly Bay, a Tucson Police Department spokeswoman.
Police went to the area of West Irvington Road and South 9th Avenue at about 11:30 p.m. for reports of a man in a wheelchair that had been struck by a vehicle. Paramedics with the Tucson Fire Department transported the man to Banner University Medical Center with life-threatening injuries, but he succumbed to his injuries, Bay said.
Through evidence collection and interviews with witnesses, traffic detectives have learned that the man in the wheelchair was on the north side of Irvington Road in a dirt lot, just west of 9th Avenue. As he was crossing southbound on Irvington, less than 100 feet from a HAWK, or High-Intensity Activated Crosswalk, he was struck by a vehicle traveling westbound in the median lane, Bay said.
Witnesses told detectives that the vehicle didn't stop or slow down.
Police are looking for the car, which is described as a dark-colored pickup truck or SUV, that will likely have damage to the lower body, Bay said.
The investigation is ongoing and additional details will be released as they become available.
Detectives are asking anyone with information to call 911 or 88-CRIME, an anonymous tipster line.
Police are also asking vehicle repair shops to pay special attention to anyone who requested or requests work on a vehicle fitting this description, and if the damage is similar, call 911 or 88-CRIME.
