COLUMBIA, S.C. — Columbia Police have arrested a suspect they say struck and killed a man along Bluff Road in Columbia earlier this month.
Officers announced Monday they'd taken into custody 40-year-old James Gilmore and charged him hit and run with death and failure to give information and render aid.
Investigators said back on October 7, Gilmore struck 22-year-old Xavier Jackson as he was walking eastbound along the 3400 block of Bluff Road, which is a mile away from the I-77 exit. Jackson's body was found the next morning by people doing work in the area.
Police said Gilmore was driving while under suspension and without insurance.
Witnesses had told Columbia Police they'd seen a pickup truck drive off the road and onto the side of the road on the day Jackson was hit. Police also said Gilmore left the scene without attempting to render aid to the victim or telling police what had happened.
Columbia police said they found evidence at the scene as well as Gilmore's pickup truck near the crime scene on the same day as the collision.
Gilmore was taken to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center following his arrest.