Family mourns the loss of hit and run victim
Reporter: Valerie Cavazos
TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) - One neighbor, family and friends describe it as a horrific scene. In fact, the details are too gruesome for us to mention. And now the victim's family is hoping someone knows -- anything about this hit and run -- and steps forward with the information.
It was just after 11 o'clock last night -- when 57-year-old Rudy Serrano left his friend's home. Anna Lopez said serrano walked down North Palm Grove Drive -- headed for home -- a few miles away.
Anna Lopez said, "He left my house and i didn't know what happened until this morning."
Serrano apparently reached the corner -- at Roger Road -- and then tried to crossed to the other side. According to the sheriff's marking on the road, he was hit here and dragged quite a distance -- several yards -- and ended up underneath the stop sign. Sheriff's deputies arrived on the scene at 11:30pm to find only the victim. Pima County Sheriff's deputy Dawn Barkman told us, "It was an apparent hit and run. He was left for dead."
A nearby neighbor described what he saw as deputies worked the crime scene. "It looked as though he had been hit pretty hard because the shoes had come off," said Sean Swinson.
Family and friends stood at the scene this afternoon -- in shock. Lopez said, "It was sad to see that someone just would take off." Serranso's sister, Mary Valenzuela, drove down from Chandler to identify her brother - who she said was nearly unrecognizable. She described her brother as a single man -- with good heart. "He stood up for anyone. If anybody was in trouble, he would be willing to take off his shirt for you even though he didn't have much himself."
Now she's hoping someone would stand up for her brother and come forward with any information. Valenzuela said, "We'd would like the people's help for them to help us to find out what happened. If anyone saw who hit him."
This heartbroken sister also has a message for the driver. "For the driver -- just so we can have peace of what really happened," said Valenzuela as she choked back tears.
Sheriff's investigators say that the suspect's vehicle is likely to have front end damage. They are asking if anyone who was in the area of the 1000 block of West Roger Road and Palm Grove Road and had seen anything suspicious -- call 9-1-1 or 88-crime.
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