A man was struck and killed in a hit-and-run crash in Boston's Mattapan neighborhood early Saturday morning, and authorities are searching for a taxi driver who may have witnessed it.
Massachusetts State Police responded just after midnight Saturday to a report of a pedestrian struck in the area of Morton Street at Fuller Street.
The victim, identified by State Police as 40-year-old Pierre Desir, of Boston, was pronounced dead at the scene. Family members referred to Desir by the name TJ Stephens.
"I know things happen, but I want to know what happened to my son," said Stephen's grief-stricken mother, Adrienne, as she called for the driver to come forward.
"That's all I want to know, is what happened to my son. He doesn't deserve it. His children need him - now they have no daddy." Stephens was a father of five.
The vehicle that hit Stephens did not stop and continued traveling west on Morton Street. Authorities have not released a vehicle or suspect description.
The investigation is active and ongoing.
U.S. & World
State police detectives are looking for the driver of a white taxi who may have witnessed the accident, according to a statement released by the Suffolk District Attorney office Saturday afternoon. Authorities emphasized that the taxi driver is sought as a witness only, and that investigators are confident he or she was not involved in the accident. Investigators were told by several witnesses that a white taxi cab was in the area around the time of the accident.
Anyone with any knowledge of the accident is asked to contact the Suffolk County State Police Detective Unit at 617-727-8817.
