Knew him since he was a kid, knew his Dad and his Mom.
Used to lease a house from his Dad.
Contrary to the content of the article to which I have linked, it has now been determined that it was not an accident.
I cannot speak of it further right now.
http://www.kctv5.com/story/25739532/police-investigating-death-after-van-crashes-into-kck-body-shop"KANSAS CITY, KS (KCTV) -
Police are investigating a suspicious death after a van crashed into a KCK building Tuesday morning.
Police were called about 12:40 p.m. Tuesday to the 7900 Block of State Avenue on a reported accident.
When officers arrived, they located a conversion van that smashed partway into Calvert's Express Auto Service. They thought the van's driver simply lost control and smacked into the brick wall.
When the tow truck arrived on scene and began to remove the vehicle a man was found dead underneath the van.
"Obviously there had been an accident. At the time, they thought the van had rolled into the building next door," said Dan Pratt, the owner of the Hoop Bar and Grill, a neighboring business.
The manager at the auto shop said their alarm system was set off, possibly by the accident, about 2:45 a.m.
But it wasn't until 7:30 a.m. when employees arrived at work and discovered the van smashed into the building that they called police.
Homicide detectives are investigating. They have not ruled the case a homicide yet but as a suspicious death, as they try to piece together what happened.
"We definitely believe the van is what killed the person. We just don't know how exactly he was struck … what happened before that," said Officer Thomas Tomasic, a spokesman for the Kansas City, KS, Police Department. "We do not have anyone in custody and don't have any suspect information or anything like that. At this time it is being treated as a dead body. We don't know if it is a homicide or accident. We don't know what it is at this time."
Pratt said one of his bartenders was questioned by detectives about the possible victim and if he was alone at the bar the night before or with someone, as they try to determine who was behind the wheel when the crash happened.
"Our bartenders have indicated that they do recognize the vehicle, but until someone actually says, we aren't sure," he said.
Pratt also said that police told him they found blood in the van. He said his thought are with the victim's family because he knows the unimaginable heartache of losing someone.
"My son was killed 17 years ago so it brought back some real harsh realities of things that happened, so it's unsettling," he said.
A key piece of evidence that will help police determine what led to the accident will be surveillance video from surrounding businesses.
The identity of the victim has not yet been released, although some in the area believe the victim owns the van and that he was homeless, living out of it.
Anyone with information is urged to call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.
Copyright 2014 KCTV (Meredith Corp.) All rights reserved."
