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WEST VALLEY CITY — The father of the man killed in a West Valley City hit-and-run said he wants accountability for the person who killed his son.
Joel Lewis, 39, died about 10 p.m. Monday while crossing the street at 7200 W. 3245 South. Police said a car heading north hit him and didn't stop. Lewis died from his injuries at the scene.
Police are still looking for the driver and believe that person may have been driving a 1999-2006 Chevy or GMC pickup truck model. The truck would have damage to its driver's headlight and side mirror.
Joel Lewis' father, Robert Lewis, said he found out about his son's death after getting a text message Monday night.
"I opened it up and read it and it was just 'I'm so sorry,' and I'm not sure what motivated me to go to Facebook, because I knew something was going on," Robert Lewis recalled. "I went to Facebook and pulled Joel up, and it was 'Rest in peace, rest in peace, rest in peace.' That's how I found out he was gone."
Robert Lewis said Joel Lewis was on the phone with his mother while out on a walk when he was hit.
"He was staying with his mother at the time, and he was going for a walk," Robert Lewis said. "That's it. Just for a stroll. Unfortunately, that was his last one."
Related:
Police identify man killed in hit-and-run crash in West Valley City
A man died late Monday after a hit-and-run crash in West Valley City, police said.Robert Lewis said he wants the public to be on the lookout for the driver.
"Whoever ran over my son went someplace, went home, maybe to a wife, maybe to a friend, I don't know," Robert Lewis said. "But he had to have been acting differently. There had to have been a dramatic change in the way he behaved. He's got a problem and he knows it."
He said people should contact West Valley police if they see someone acting suspiciously or if they see a car that matches investigators' description.
"It could mean something. It could bring this person in to be accountable and solve this and find out why he didn't see Joel," Robert Lewis said.
He said he'll remember his son, who was a father to two children himself — one of them an infant — for his sensitive and sweet nature.
"Joel was a guy that somewhere picked up empathy along the way, even at a young age," Robert Lewis said. "He always rooted for the underdog."
Police ask anyone with information to call 801-840-4000.
