Man hit and killed at what investigators think was a car meet-up in RTP
Investigators are trying to determine how a young man was struck and killed by a car in a parking lot in Research Triangle Park over the weekend.
It appears that 22-year-old Oscar Avila Santos of Benson was attending a “car meet-up” late Saturday night in a lot off N.C. 54 between Davis Drive and South Miami Boulevard, according to the Durham County Sheriff’s Office.
Witnesses told deputies just after midnight that they had heard a loud bang and seen several vehicles speed away, though it wasn’t clear if one had hit Santos, the sheriff’s office said.
Emergency Medical Services took Santos to a hospital, where he died.
Investigators think the meet-up was about people gathering to admire each other’s cars, said AnnMarie Breen, spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office.
“It doesn’t seem like it was a meet-and-let’s-race kind of thing,” Breen said.
The sheriff’s office is asking for the public’s help identifying the vehicles that fled after Santos was hit. Anyone with information may call the criminal investigation division at 919-560-0880 or Durham Crimestoppers at 919-683-1200.
This story was originally published July 15, 2024 at 3:18 PM.
