Troopers are searching for a driver who hit and killed a man on a Catawba County highway Thursday night.
The crash happened around 10:40 p.m. near Penny Road and closed US Highway 70 in both directions west of Claremont.
Troopers said a man walking on US 70 was struck by a vehicle that left the scene. Someone who works nearby told Channel 9’s Dave Faherty that one of the vehicles involved stopped briefly before driving off.
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The man, Raymond Lee Gentry, 63, of Conover, died at the scene, troopers said.
Faherty spoke to several people who said they knew Gentry. They said he could be seen walking around town almost every day.
“He walked all over town,” said Telicia Hefner, who works at a salon in Claremont. “It’s annoying. He’s a human being and everyone in the community knew him and the whole community is pretty upset about it.”
Danny Hedrick of Claremont Automotive said Gentry stopped by his shop to exchange the coins he had collected for dollar bills.
“He would stop and wave,” Hedrick said.
Wait for the driver to come forward in the case.
“It’s a shame,” Hedrick said. “Nobody should be made like this.”
“People are mean, people are trash. I mean, I hate to say it like that, but, you know, it’s the way the world is, you know? said one driver. “Claremont is very, very small, so you’re going to find someone who talk about it”.
The freeway reopened shortly after 2 a.m. Friday.
State troopers said they canvassed the area looking for possible surveillance video in hopes of identifying the vehicle involved.
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol is asking anyone who was involved or saw anything in the area of US 70 between 10:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. to call them at 828 -466-5500.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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