ATOKA, Tenn. — A Mid-South community is grieving for the sudden loss of a father of five.
Atoka police say Stephen McNair, 38, was killed by a hit-and-run driver around 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
“It’s really hard, you know, a guy with five kids,” said Ken Joyner, who lives near the crime scene.
Joyner didn’t know McNair, but he saw the police presence soon after he was killed.
“About 6:30, I was going to get the paper and I saw the police across the street blocking traffic,” said Joyner. “I looked up the road and you could see a tarp laying there and I was told that’s where the man was laying.”
Authorities say a driver hit and killed McNair as he was walking across Highway 51 near Joe Joyner Road.
“I was shocked,” said Sandi Austin, who lives nearby. “I mean, did anybody see anything? Was it a passerby, another motorist that might’ve seen it?”
A GoFundMe page says McNair leaves behind five children, ages 14 to 21, and a wife. They’re described as a beautiful and caring family.
Police say McNair lived in the Atoka area.
Neighbors say the patch of road where he was killed is often dangerous for those even behind the wheel.
“We’ve had several things happen around here like that, not people getting killed but you know, wrecks and this that and the other,” said Joyner.
Neighbors say they hope in this recent case of tragedy, justice is served.
Police they have a person of interest, but they haven’t named a suspect yet.
