A somber scene unfolded in Westminster on Sunday night where a vehicle struck two pedestrians, leaving one dead and another seriously injured in a hit-and-run incident. According to FOX31, the Westminster Police Department reported that the crash occurred east of Federal Boulevard on 72nd Avenue, near Orchard Park, around 8 p.m. Tragically, a 46-year-old woman succumbed to her injuries while a 52-year-old man continues to fight for his life in the hospital.
The scene, a stark canvas of an all too common urban tragedy, was approached by Westminster Police to find it devoid of the perpetrator. As the Denver Post reports, police were able to apprehend the suspect, identified as Luis Gerardo Reyes of Westminster. Reyes faces charges of hit-and-run and is currently being held at the Adams County jail.
Immediately after the crash, investigations led to the swift location of the suspect vehicle, which had fled the scene. Contrary to initial suspicions, alcohol and drugs were not believed to be factors in this heartbreaking incident, as noted by 9News. Moreover, the pedestrians were not crossing in a crosswalk at the time they were struck, shedding light on the harrowing moments that led to this catastrophe.
As the community reels from this incident, the name of the woman whose life was cut short is withheld until proper notifications can be made, with the Adams County Coroner's Office set to release information following appropriate procedures. The man, whose injuries have tethered him between the throes of life and respite, remains in serious condition. Westminster Police continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding this tragic event, aiming to piece together the motives, oversights, or failures, that led to a night marred by loss and sorrow.
