Salem police are asking to talk with a driver who they say witnessed a delivery van driver strike and kill a man walking across Southeast Cordon Road Saturday night.
The agency called on the witness Wednesday afternoon to come forward. “Investigators believe the witness will have additional information helpful to the investigation,” according to a news release.
Police said the person was driving an unknown Jeep model south on Cordon Road when the collision occurred.
The witness was asked to contact the Salem Police Department Traffic Team at 503-588-6293 and reference case number 23‑72055.
Original story below:
A delivery van driver struck and killed a man Saturday night as he walked across Southeast Cordon Road, the Salem Police Department said in a news release.
The driver reported around 7:50 p.m. that he believed he had struck a pedestrian while driving north on Cordon Road, just south of the Highway 22 east overpass.
Salem police arrived and found the pedestrian, 23-year-old Kiristian Murauo, dead off the west shoulder of the road, according to the statement.
Police said there is no pedestrian crossing or street lighting in the area where the collision occurred.
The driver, 35-year-old Justin Rodriguez, stayed at the scene and cooperated with investigators, according to the statement.
“No arrest has occurred, or citation issued as the collision remains under investigation. No other information is available for release,” Salem police said in the statement.
Traffic was interrupted on Cordon Road at the overpass for around three hours while police investigated the collision.
This year, Salem police have investigated 12 fatal traffic collisions resulting in 13 deaths, according to the police statement.
Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.
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Ardeshir Tabrizian has covered criminal justice and housing for Salem Reporter since September 2021. As an Oregon native, his award-winning watchdog journalism has traversed the state. He has done reporting for The Oregonian, Eugene Weekly and Malheur Enterprise.
