CENTERVILLE, Utah — A man riding a bicycle died after being hit by a driver in a pickup truck in Centerville late Saturday night.
Centerville Police said 63-year-old Kevin Reed Jessop of Bountiful was riding near 600 S. Frontage Road around 11:15 p.m. when he was hit by a white Toyota Tundra. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
“How do you deal with this? How do you process this?” said Matt Ford, Jessop’s friend.
“He didn’t have lights, he didn’t have lights on his bike,” said Ford. “But he had reflectors. It was his brand new bike.”
Witnesses told police that the driver got out of the vehicle, saw Jessop on the ground, then got back into his truck and fled the scene.
“I thought he’d live a lot more years. I did,” said Deborah Thompson, another friend of Jessop’s.
Witnesses’ descriptions of the vehicle helped police identify the suspect as a 43-year-old man who lived in West Bountiful. Officers went to the man's home and found broken pieces of a vehicle outside. They "briefly made contact" with him outside the house, but then the suspect ran inside.
“And then a few minutes later a single gunshot was heard coming from inside the home,” said Lt. Allen Ackerson.
Once they were able to enter the home, they confirmed that the man died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
“Now we have two families in the area that are both mourning the loss of their family members,” said Ackerson.
Police later found the Tundra from the hit-and-run inside the man's garage. Both incidents are under investigation.
"The Centerville Police Department extends its deepest condolences to the families of both men," a press release read.
Officers are investigating whether drugs or alcohol were involved. They’re also looking into the lighting of the area and whether Jessop had reflective gear and was in the bike lane at the time of the crash.
2022 already broke state records for the most cyclist deaths and injuries. Jessop’s friends are pleading for others to stay safe so Utah doesn’t have a repeat this year.
“Tell everyone you love them and give them a hug every day,” said Ford.
FOX 13 News chose to not publish the name of the man who died by suicide.
For those struggling with thoughts of suicide, the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline can now be reached by simply dialing 988 any time for free support. Resources are also available online at utahsuicideprevention.org.
