‘You just hit my world’: Girlfriend distraught after hit-and-run victim found by street sweeper
A family is mournful and angry after a 28-year-old man was hit and killed by a car that didn’t stay at the scene.
Instead, the man’s body was discovered by a street sweeper last Thursday night on the grass median at Langford Parkway and I-285. His shirt and shoes were later located in the westbound lane of Langford Parkway.
Alesha White, the girlfriend of victim Benny Watts, was distraught when she spoke to Channel 2 Action News on Wednesday.
“Benny was my world,” she said. “You just hit my world and kept going.”
Atlanta police said Watts’ wounds were consistent with being hit by a car and the investigation is being treated as a hit-and-run, AJC.com previously reported. Police do not have a description of the vehicle.
Shepilah Watts, the victim’s sister, told Channel 2 that he was likely walking home from a RaceWay gas station on Campbellton Road when he was hit.
“I’m going to be all alone,” she said. “My brother was all I had. We want justice for my brother.”
The family has been passing out flyers in hopes of helping police with a lead in the case, the news station reported. The family is also offering a $500 reward for information about the hit-and-run.
Police said they’re looking through surveillance footage from nearby cameras in case the incident was captured on video.
“Someone just hit (him) like that and kept going,” White said, “like he was a piece of trash, and it is so hurtful.”
The family has also created a GoFundMe page to help pay for funeral expenses.
Anyone with information is asked to contact CrimeStoppers at 404-577-8477 or online at www.StopCrimeATL.com. Tips can be sent anonymously and information that leads to an arrest and indictment in this investigation can earn tipsters up to $2,000.
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About the Author
Zachary Hansen, a Georgia native, covers economic development and commercial real estate for the AJC. He's been with the newspaper since 2018 and enjoys diving into complex stories that affect people's lives.
