Suspect Driver Charged In Deadly Hit & Run
DENVER (CBS4)- A man has been charged with vehicular homicide after a deadly hit-and-run crash in Denver.
Jason Brown is accused of hitting a man and a woman in an alley near Ellsworth and South Broadway on Saturday just after midnight.
Denver police have said little about the victims. Someone placed a single red rose near the crime scene where the woman suffered a fatal blow.
A resuscitation device, white tarp, and other medical supplies were left behind, alongside signs of people who may have been camping out behind South Broadway Christian Church.
"We were so sad and taken back by it," said Laurie Lewis, a church minister. "It's not really a problem in this neighborhood like it is in other parts of the city. But it does happen. And people sleep where they can find a space."
The space where the two were in a narrow alley would have been a dangerous place to lie down.
"Apparently, the (driver) just plowed through the alley really fast. And I don't know if he saw them or not," said Audrey Bayless, who works nearby.
Officers arrested Brown, 40, in Lakewood about an hour after the hit-and-run. Further details surrounding his arrest were unknown.
Brown was arrested on charges of vehicular homicide and vehicular assault.
His prior convictions include DUI and felony habitual traffic offender.
Neighbors were saddened that he allegedly did not stop to help the man and woman who he hit.
"It's super, super sad," Bayless said. "(In) this area, I think we see a lot of it, but it's really sad to hear about."
Paramedics rushed the victims to the hospital where the woman passed away. The man suffered serious injuries.
On Sunday, police were not able to provide an update on the man's condition.
The identity of the woman killed had not been released.
Melissa Garcia has been reporting for CBS4 News since March 2014. Find her bio here, follow her on Twitter @MelissaGarciaTV, or send your story idea to mkgarcia@cbs.com.
