FAIRFIELD, Alabama – A 70-year-old man from Fairfield, Alabama, is facing charges of murder, DUI, and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in injury or death following a hit-and-run incident that claimed the life of 18-year-old Gabriel Demor Edwards in Hueytown.
Hueytown police revealed that the tragic incident unfolded early Tuesday morning when a patrol officer observed a vehicle, later identified as a Ford F-150 driven by the suspect, Walter Lee Ellison, driving on the wrong side of the road near the intersection of Allison Bonnett Memorial Drive and Brooklane Drive. Ellison was subsequently arrested for DUI and taken into custody.
Authorities discovered fresh damage on the front of Ellison’s vehicle, prompting a search for any matching evidence in the area. Following a report of a person found deceased near the intersection of Hueytown Road and Walker Avenue later that morning, officers discovered Edwards’ body off the road, surrounded by car parts. It was determined that he had been struck by a vehicle while walking north on Hueytown Road.
Further investigation linked the green Ford F-150 from Ellison’s DUI arrest to the hit-and-run incident, with evidence indicating that Edwards had been hit around 11:30 p.m., 30 minutes before Ellison was taken into custody. Ellison is currently awaiting transfer to the Jefferson County Jail, where he will be held without bond.
The tragic death of Gabriel Demor Edwards has left the community of Hueytown in mourning, as they come to terms with the loss of a young life in such a senseless act of violence. Authorities are urging anyone with information about the incident to come forward and assist in the ongoing investigation to ensure that justice is served.