The Lake Forest police chief announced that the pickup truck driver in the fatal hit-and-run last week has been identified, questioned and his vehicle has been seized for evidence.
Stephen Kennedy, 62, of Lake Forest, died as a result of multiple blunt force injuries consistent with being struck by a vehicle, according to Lake County Coroner Dr. Howard Cooper.
The incident happened around 10:47 a.m. Thursday in the 500 block of North Mayflower Road in Lake Forest.
Officers found a pedestrian, later identified as Kennedy, who had been struck by a vehicle near the intersection of North Mayflower Road and Rosemary Road.
The suspect vehicle, identified as a white two-door Ford F-150 pickup truck, fled the scene southbound on Mayflower Road.
Lake Forest Police Department Sgt. Kevin Zelk said that Kennedy died at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville as a result of his injuries.
“Since this crash occurred on November 12, officers have made substantial progress in this investigation,” Lake Forest Police Chief Karl Walldorf said on Tuesday.
Numerous video clips showing the victim, suspect vehicle, and the offending driver both before and after the crash have been recovered. Several witnesses have also been identified and questioned.
The suspect pickup truck was located, a search warrant was granted, and the vehicle was seized and processed for evidence, Walldorf said.
The suspected driver, a suburban Cook County man, was identified and questioned by detectives.
Police are continuing to process the vehicle and other items of forensic value, including downloading the event data recorder from the pickup.
Detectives will be assembling everything of evidentiary value and submitting it to the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office for consideration of charges in the case, Walldorf said.
“We are very grateful to the Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team and Lake County Major Crime Task Force for their assistance,” he said.
Police said they would like to thank everyone who shared details about the suspect and the vehicle during their search.
“Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Mr. Kennedy as we continue to press forward on this case,” Walldorf said.