The search is on for whoever struck and killed a 70-year-old peace activist in New Haven and then sped away.
Amid concerns about speeding on Whalley Avenue in New Haven, neighbors were heartbroken to hear that Yusuf Gursey died after being hit by a car near the intersection with Brownell Street on Sunday night.
“People are dying for no reason at all because people don't want to slow down. Rushing to go where? No where,” Victoria Dolberry of New Haven said.
Police say the car took off but was later found. The crash happened just blocks from where Gursey apparently lived.
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“Just a wonderful guy. And to lose someone like that as a member of our community is really tragic,” Mayor Justin Elicker (D–New Haven) said.
Elicker said Gursey was very active in the community and for the past five years, he served on the city’s Peace Commission.
“Someone that from folks I talked to earlier today was very kind. He's a physicist and he was someone that just really cared about getting involved to focus on peace,” Elicker said.
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Amid an increase in pedestrians being killed in recent years, the mayor said they’ve boosted the number of traffic enforcement officers.
They’re also looking to install red light speed cameras, though it’s not believed the section where Sunday’s crash took place qualifies.
But the mayor said this stretch - as part of a bus project - could see improvements to slow down cars including narrowing the road and adding infrastructure for bikes and pedestrians.
“There's a lot we are working to do because there's a lot of dangerous driving in the city, particularly with people using cell phones,” Elicker said.
Anyone with any information about the crash is asked to reach out to detectives.
