Gary Real Time Crime Center Detectives Identify Suspect In Fatal Hit & Run Within 12 Hours
Around 6 AM, January 4th, Gary Police were dispatched to a fatal hit & run crash involving a teenage victim on an electric scooter who was later identified as 17 year old, Eunikue Roberson.
Detectives immediately began to work the case starting with vehicle debris that was left at the scene. Tracking part numbers on the debris and a paint color they were able to identify the suspect vehicle as a grey Dodge Durango.
Police then utilized The Real Time Crime Center and reviewed footage from 10 local businesses in the area looking for any footage of that suspected Durango. Detectives located the Durango in videos and then processed information through the License Plate Reader system for that time frame.
Police were able to get a good registered address for a Durango belonging to a 42 year old Gary man. Officers went by the house and noticed a fresh fluid puddle on a concrete parking slab next to a garage which matched a fluid trail at the scene of the crash.
On Saturday police obtained a search warrant for the residence in the 1500 block of Hovey St. Police took several cellular devices and located a heavily damaged Dodge Durango in a garage. The owner of the Durango agreed to talk with police during this search.
The suspect now identified as Akil Ward. Ward told police he was driving the Durango during that time frame and in that area. Ward stated he hit something in the roadway which he figured was a deer and kept driving. Ward continued driving a a couple blocks before stopping to survey the damage and his SUV began overheating. Ward took it home and parked it in the garage.
Police then obtained consent to search Ward’s phone which revealed he was shopping for automotive parts and asking a friend to fix his damaged SUV or buy it back damaged. Police also found a Google search for 10-50 which is the police code for a crash and a search result for under the influence of narcotics / taking a report. When asked about the searches Ward did not have a valid reason.
Ward has since been arrested and charged with Leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death or catastrophic injury, a Level 4 Felony. Ward bonded out of Lake County Jail Tuesday morning.