‘I bet he was so scared;’ Atlanta family wants driver who killed great-grandfather to come forward

ATLANTA — A family is sending a warning about a driver still on the run after hitting and killing an Atlanta grandfather this week.

It happened on Lee Street Southwest near the Oakland City Marta Station Wednesday morning, according to police.

Family of the man killed, Larry Hogan, spoke to Channel 2 Action News reporter Courtney Francisco Saturday, pleading for someone to come forward with information.

“If it was your dad, you would want to know,” said Jasmine Lawson.

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Lawson said it was still dark, between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Wednesday morning when the driver hit her father.

Police found him dead in the roadway nearly one mile away from his home.

Lawson and her aunt, Valerie Hogan, said he was likely confused about the time of day because, at 73 years old, he was starting to go blind. They believe he left the house, unnoticed, and got lost.

“He’s legally blind, and he can’t see very well at night,” said Hogan. “He might of thought it was early morning and left here and lost his way.”

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“I bet he was so scared,” said his daughter, Lawson.

It’s part of a disturbing trend in Atlanta. A non-profit called Propel Atlanta works to make it safer for you to walk and bike in the city, and it released new data Thursday.

Records show the number of people killed while walking in Atlanta increased 23% in 2022. That year, 38 people died.

Hogan’s family is pleading for someone to turn in the driver who killed him and sending a message to the drivers who do hit and run.

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“If you know that you hit someone, even a dog, stop and see if you can do anything to help them,” said Hogan. “You might be able to save their life.”

Channel 2 Action News is asking Atlanta Police Department for a description of a suspected vehicle or any cars that may have been passing on Lee Street Southwest at the time and saw something.

We will keep you updated.

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