JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Police arrested the man they say is responsible for a deadly hit-and-run accident. Now, so many are mourning the loss of a beloved 80-year-old.
The hallways at Florida Christian Apartments were much quieter Thursday.
The chair typically reserved for Emmitt "Gene" Roberts sits empty. Usually he'd fill the barber and beauty room at the senior-living apartment complex with his laughter and kind words. Ladies say the 80-year-old had a lot of life in him and called him "a man about town."
"He just liked the attention,” said Amy Davis. “He'd love for the women to rub on him."
Davis says his daily stops in her shop were like clockwork. So were his nightly trips to the store across the street.
Roberts was on his motorized wheelchair crossing Edgewood Avenue south near Trask Street.
Police say Steven Bradstreet's vehicle slammed into Roberts as he crossed the street. According to police, Bradstreet checked for damage to his sport utility vehicle, then took off. Roberts was thrown from his wheelchair as he was only a few feet away from his home.
“This is the second tragic accident within two and a half years,” said Davis. “We’ve lost two residents due to being hit in front of our buildings. We need help. We need the city to stand up and take notice. Give us some lights out here."
Now that the "man about town" has moved onto a better place, Amy Davis' heart is just as empty as Gene's chair. “He's going to be truly missed.”
Bradstreet faces a charge of fleeing the scene of an accident resulting in death.
