Chelsea Purgahn/Kalamazoo Gazette-MLife Media Group via AP
Charles Edward Picket Jr., 50, was charged Thursday with five counts of second-degree murder in connection with the deadly crash that left five cyclists dead and four others seriously injured in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Picket is also facing four counts of reckless driving causing serious impairment after allegedly plowing into the cycling group along the road.
Picket's blue truck was found on the side of the road, rendered immobile after it hit multiple people. He was found and taken into custody a short distance away from the crash.
"The investigation is not over and the police will continue to gather information on what led up to the crash," Kalamazoo Prosecuting Attorney Jeff Getting said in a statement to BuzzFeed News.
The five cyclists killed have been identified as Debra Ann Bradley, 53; Melissa Ann Fevig-Hughes, 42; and Suzanne Joan Sippel, 56, all of Augusta; as well as Fred Nelson, 73, and Larry John Paulik, 74, both of Kalamazoo.
Douglas Gobble, 47, Sheila Diane Jeske, 53, and Paul Lewis Runnels, 65 — all of Richland — and Jennifer Lynn Johnson, 40, of Kalamazoo, also suffered serious injuries.
Authorities said they received at least three calls from people who witnesses the blue pick-up truck driving erratically before the crash occurred. Authorities tried searching for the vehicle, but were unable to do so before the crash happened.
"As members of the Kalamazoo community we have all been dealt a devastating blow by the deaths and injuries of so many innocent people," Getting said. "Our hearts are saddened for the victims, their families and friends who are trying to cope with this tragedy.
LINK: 9 Victims Identified After Pickup Plows Into Bicyclists In Michigan
from BuzzFeed - USNews http://ift.tt/28oj4ez
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