A 25-year-old man was killed on State Route 96 when he reported stepped into traffic and was struck by a car Friday night, according to the California Highway Patrol.
According to a press release, the CHP responded to a report of a vehicle-versus-pedestrian crash at about 11:40 a.m. on State Route 96 west of Shoemaker Road. A preliminary investigation determined Joseph McCovey stepped in the westbound lane, directly into the path of a 2015 Kia Soul, which subsequently left the scene.
McCovey was pronounced dead at the scene.
Shortly after midnight, Neo McKindley, 18, and his passenger, Dawnalee Rangel, 19, arrived ash the Hoopa Valley Tribal Police Station to report they'd been in the Kia that struck McCovey. Both were fully cooperative with officers, according to the release, and were released pending further investigation.
Whether drugs or alcohol were a factor in the crash remains under investigation. See a copy of the full release
here.