ATHENS, Ga. — Channel 2 Action News has learned how police tracked down a driver who hit and killed a grandmother in Athens this week.
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Channel 2′s Courtney Francisco was on Atlanta Highway Thursday, where Shelby Cox, 45, was waiting at a bus stop when the crash happened.
The bus stop stands alone off a busy portion of the highway. There’s a button you can push to turn on a light at night, but it was around 6:15 p.m. Sunday when a driver in an SUV veered off the road, hit Cox and kept going.
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People saw the crash and cameras also captured it. Police say surveillance video was the first step in catching the driver they believe killed Cox.
Police said it took three hours to sort through photos and camera footage of the cars passing and match that with partial tag numbers people saw.
Police were then able to confirm Jeffrey Tate was the suspect. It turns out he rented the SUV and police said he dropped it off at an Enterprise store after killing Cox.
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Police tracked Tate to Oconee County and he was booked into jail Monday with no bond. He was then arrested and charged with murder, hit and run, reckless driving and failure to maintain lane.
Cox’s family was not ready to talk on camera, but said she was a mom with three daughters and five young grandchildren who will never have a chance to know her.
She had two granddaughters and three grandsons.
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