A 30-year-old Cairo man was killed while riding a scooter on the streets of Northeast Cairo during the wee hours of Sunday.
A passersby found Ryan Owens, who appeared unconscious, and his wrecked Taizhou gas powered scooter at the intersection of Ninth Avenue and Fifth Street N.E., according to Dewayne Pearson, investigator with the Cairo Police Department.
Cairo Police were dispatched to the scene at 4:25 a.m., Pearson says, and found the scooter had been moved out of the roadway and Owens was in a vehicle where the passersby were attempting to render first aid.
An ambulance arrived soon after and transported Owens to Archbold Memorial Hospital in Thomasville where he was treated. Pearson says Owens died Monday.
Officers originally thought it was a one-vehicle accident, but a citizen later came forward to say she suspected her car had been involved. The owner of the vehicle said her car had been used without her permission during the time of the accident, and she wanted law enforcement to look at her vehicle for evidence, Pearson says.
Later, Reginald Gurley, 22, Cairo, went to the police department and gave a statement that he had driven the 2017 Nissan Altima involved in the accident. Gurley claimed Owens did not stop at the stop sign and he was unable to avoid colliding with Owens. Gurley tells police he got scared and left the accident site.
Cairo Police arrested Gurley Tuesday and charged him with felony failure to stop and render aid, and driving while license suspended or revoked.
