Family Remembers Man Killed in Portland Crash

Sunday night, Portland police were still searching for the driver of a car that hit and killed a Middletown man on motor scooter late Saturday. The crash shut down the Arrigoni Bridge for six hours.

Police identified the victim as 22-year-old father of two, Daquan Moore, of Middletown. Moore’s nephew told NBC Connecticut in an exclusive interview that he was the last person to speak with his uncle, less than an hour before the tragedy.

“He’s only a year older than I am and I kinda felt like I lost part of me in a way,” said Taiheim Gatling.

Gatling said Moore always managed to find the light in the darkest of situations. Now, his family is looking for comfort as they try to come to terms with a life cut short.

“Daquan was the type of person who was extremely light-hearted and kind. He always had a great story to tell. Even at such a young age he had a wise soul,” Gatling recalled.

Gatling said Moore was headed over to his cousins’ house in Portland Saturday night. He never made it.

Police say at 10:52 p.m. they were called to the Portland side of the Arrigoni Bridge. There they found Moore laying in the roadway. His motor scooter came to rest at least 100 yards further down the bridge.

Investigators said a car hit Moore’s motor scooter from behind and fled the scene. They determined that the car that hit Moore was traveling at a high rate of speed. They also said that witnesses on the scene told them that the car was racing another vehicle, a grey car.

“We know what lane that the motor scooter was driving in. We know that he was in his established lane. We know that he was hit from behind,” said Portland police officer Paul Liseo.

Liseo said Moore landed more than 200 feet away from the point of impact. He said Moore was not wearing a helmet. He was rushed to Middlesex Hospital in life-threatening condition, and shortly succumbed to his injuries.

Liseo was part of an accident reconstruction team that included both Portland and Middletown police. The team spent six hours on the Arrigoni Bridge, combing for clues through a large debris field. The bridge was shut down during that time and did not open back up until 5:45 a.m.

“We do have some parts at the scene that we’re able to get some numbers off of so hopefully we can match a make and model or year up to the vehicle,” said Liseo.

Police described the suspect’s vehicle as a late-model, light-colored Audi with front-end damage. Investigators said between the eye-witness accounts and DOT cameras, it’s only a matter of time before they identify the suspect.

“If the person would like to talk to us, come and turn themselves in, let us know what happened it would definitely be in his favor or her favor to do that,” said Liseo.

“We want this person to turn themselves in so that we can have justice and we can kind of have closure,” added Gatling.

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