MEMPHIS, Tenn. – A man who witnessed a deadly hit-and-run crash in Whitehaven says he desperately tried to stop traffic when the victim was initially hit.
Memphis Police say 29-year-old LeCharles Boddie was hit while walking his dog on East Shelby Drive near Gill Road. Both Boddie and the dog died of their injuries.
A witness, who did not want to be identified, said he was inside his home when he heard a loud boom outside.
“I heard people outside screaming. So, I came up out the house and I ran to the end of the corner and saw the body laying out there,” he said. “It happened so fast. We weren’t able to get no tags because it happened so fast. It happened in the quick of a moment. Because we were trying to stop cars from running over the body.”
The witness says he and another driver tried to stop traffic, but the unthinkable happened.
“Another truck came through like they just didn’t care and ran over the body again,” he said.
He says this portion of East Shelby Drive is notorious for speeding and drag racing.
“There’s a lot of violence and a lot of fast driving around here,” he said. “They had put speed bumpers around here, but people still disrespect the speed bumps.”
Earlier this month, the Memphis Police Department, with the assistance of the Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, kicked off “Slow Down Memphis”, a traffic operation to crack down on interstate shootings, reckless driving, and illegal drag racing.
The man who spoke with WREG says he believes incidents such as this can be avoided with more law enforcement presence.
“I really want to move because it’s really a busy section and it really doesn’t look like the police authority, or anybody is fighting off the crime around here,” he said.
So far, no reported arrests have been made.
If you know anything about Wednesday morning’s armed robbery incident, you are urged to call CrimeStoppers at 901-528-CASH.
