The Hermiston Police Department is investigating a fatal hit-and-run that took place early Tuesday morning.
Capt. Travis Eynon said officers and emergency personnel were called at 4:33 a.m. to the scene of a vehicle-versus-pedestrian collision at the 400 block of S.W. 11th Street.
When they arrived they found the body of a 72-year-old male in the roadway. Officers spoke to a witness who reported seeing a male flee from the vehicle that struck the pedestrian. The vehicle, said Eynon, was left at the scene by the driver and has since been seized.
Eynon said the initial investigation indicates the pedestrian was in the roadway and wearing dark-colored clothing at the time of the collision, and that there was no crosswalk in the area.
“It is unknown at this time why the driver would flee from the scene,” said Eynon.
The name of the pedestrian is being withheld pending notification of family. Eynon called the investigation “ongoing” and “fluid” and that certain details are not being released at this time.
