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89-year-old man walking to church killed in hit-and-run in Nebraska, family says

Police in Nebraska are searching for the driver of a pickup truck that fatally hit a man walking then took off.
Police in Nebraska are searching for the driver of a pickup truck that fatally hit a man walking then took off.

Police in Nebraska are searching for the driver of a pickup truck that fatally hit a man walking then took off.

Around 7:30 a.m. Oct. 1, 89-year-old Walter Tighe was crossing a street in Omaha when he was hit by a silver truck, according to a news release from police. The diver of the truck took off.

Tighe’s family told WOWT that he was walking to church when he was hit.

“He stopped driving in 2018, so of course he was going to walk,” his granddaughter, Kassie Tighe, told the news outlet. “He was healthy as a horse, walking four miles a day.”

Officials said they located the truck they believe was involved in the hit-and-run. They identified it as a 2007 to 2012 silver Chevy Silverado. However, the driver still has not been found.

“I’m going to think about this probably for the rest of my life I’m probably going to dwell on the fact that it was somebody who took a life unnecessarily and why didn’t they stop,” Kassie Tighe told KETV.

Tighe was described as a loving grandfather.

“He went out of this world with the same amount of love he came in with,” Kassie Tighe told WOWT.

Police are asking anyone with information to contact the OPD Traffic Unit at (402) 444-5626 or anonymously contact Omaha Crime Stoppers.

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This story was originally published October 3, 2024 at 12:08 PM with the headline "89-year-old man walking to church killed in hit-and-run in Nebraska, family says."

Jennifer Rodriguez
mcclatchy-newsroom
Jennifer Rodriguez is a McClatchy National Real-Time reporter covering the Central and Midwest regions. She joined McClatchy in 2023 after covering local news in Youngstown, Ohio, for over six years. Jennifer has made several achievements in her journalism career, including receiving the Robert R. Hare Award in English, the Emerging Leader Justice and Equality Award, the Regional Edward R. Murrow Award and the Distinguished Hispanic Ohioan Award.
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