Hit-and-Run Driver Killed Willie Lamont Hopkins, 42, in East Garfield Park

A motorist fatally struck a 42-year-old Willie Lamont Hopkins in East Garfield Park early Friday morning and fled the scene.

At about 3:30 a.m. Friday, Hopkins was on foot in the 3500 block of West Congress when the driver struck him, police said. Hopkins, who lived on the 5300 block of South Aberdeen, was transported to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 3:48 a.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. After an autopsy on Saturday, Hopkins' death was ruled an accident.

As of Monday afternoon, the driver had not been apprehended. The police have put out a bulletin in search of a dark gray BMW with damage to its front end and left side. The driver was last seen fleeing west on Congress from St. Louis Avenue, according to police. The public is asked to call Major Accidents at (312) 745-4521 with any information.

Fatality Tracker: 2017 Chicago pedestrian and bicyclist deaths
Pedestrian: 18 (seven were hit-and-run crashes)
Bicyclist: 2

Note: Streetsblog Chicago’s fatality numbers are based on media reports of fatal crashes on Chicago streets. According to fatality numbers released at a recent Mayor’s Pedestrian Advisory Council meeting, there had been 14 pedestrian deaths in Chicago this year as of April 30. There have been nine media-reported pedestrian fatality since that date, which means that a total of at least 23 people have been fatally struck while on foot in Chicago this year. In addition to the on-street bike fatalities, on June 24 a cyclist was riding on a CTA train platform when he fell on the tracks and was fatally struck.