Tire tracks, memorial stand witness to deadly Augusta hit-and-run
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - A week after the body of Jerry McKinnon was found near Butler High School, his family is still seeking answers about the hit-and-run crash that claimed his life.
McKinnon, 38, went to get food on foot on the night of Feb. 20 but never came home. His body was found the next day on Coleman Avenue off Peach Orchard Road.
While the driver remains at-large, the family is reaching out to the public, asking anyone with information to come forward.
At the scene, tire tracks are still visible and makeshift memorial stands in McKinnon’s honor with a cross and balloons.
Some of the family fear the hit-and-run wasn’t accidental. They said they thought maybe he argued with someone beforehand — someone with a temper.
“It doesn’t make any sense. Nobody seen or heard anything. Bean was a good guy, and he didn’t deserve that,” said Michael McKinnon, nephew.
He was a quiet guy, who his family says was a loving cousin, uncle, brother, and son.
“He would help anybody out with anything,” he said.
Neighbors, meanwhile, say speeding is the norm in the area.
Pshonda Sucry said: “A racetrack just coming around the curve thinking how fast they can go and not even paying attention or realizing that we actually have humans that stay on this street.”
Either way, there’s talk among family and friends of offering a reward for information, but no word on an amount.
Hannah McKinnon said: “That was my uncle. He was a part of our family and I really wish this would have not happened.”
The family says they’re not going to stop until they find the driver.
Jessica Brittingham said: “Let us have some kind of peace with it. It’s not going away. We’re not going away. We’re not going to quit. We will get justice for him. You will be found.”
The McKinnon family is asking for anyone who knows or saw something to the Richmond County’s Sheriff’s Office at 706-821-1080.
Deputies won’t comment on the case.
“Deputies are working the case and reviewing all evidence related to the case,” a spokesperson for the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office told us Monday.
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