What was initially thought to be a drunk-driving incident in the death of a 60-year-old grandfather may have been intentional, East Point police told Channel 2 Action News.
Police have been looking for a Comcast contract driver they say ran over Dewey Skidmore on July 17 as he was standing on a sidewalk along Camp Creek Parkway, the news station reported.
Police say surveillance footage shows the driver was looking out the window as he hit Skidmore, who later died of blunt force trauma to the chest, Channel 2 reported.
Investigators initially thought the incident involved alcohol, but the change in the driver’s speed leads them to think otherwise.
“If you look at the video you can see that the driver is driving at a slow pace, (but) begins to speed up as he runs over the victim,” East Point police spokesman Capt. Cliff Chandler told Channel 2.
Comcast told Channel 2 the contractor worked for a different company while on duty for them, but insisted that contractors are “thoroughly vetted.”
“We extend our deepest sympathies to the victim’s family,” the company told Channel 2 in a release. “We are cooperating with the police in their investigation of this incident, which we believe involved one of our contractors.”
The company has been cooperating with authorities, police told Channel 2, but they have not released the driver’s name or truck ID. The company told Channel 2 the truck belonged to the contractor, but police ID technicians say surveillance footage shows the company’s logo on the side.
The investigation has put a strain on Skidmore’s family, which has been waiting a month for any leads in the case.
“This man was a grandfather and a father of three boys who loved him a lot,” son Mark Skidmore told Channel 2. “We want to see justice done.”
About the Author
