Indianapolis sees most fatal hit and runs on record in more than a decade

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department says there have been more than 6,000 hit-and-run crashes this year, 21 of which have been deadly. That's the most on record since 2011.

Most recently, a man was killed in a hit-and-run while he was walking early Sunday on the city's east side, police say.

Frank Sawyer, 48, was at the intersection of North Sheridan Avenue and East 10th Street, near Anderson Cemetery, when a driver struck him, according to IMPD.

Officers responded to that location about 4:05 a.m. for a report of a deceased person. When they arrived, they found Sawyer not awake or breathing.

He was pronounced dead about 4:17 a.m. at the scene.

“If you hit somebody, it's going to be an impact and the most natural thing for anybody to do when they run over something is loop back and try to see what they hit,” said Clinton Webster, who walks in the area where Sawyer was hit and killed on Sunday.

“If you have a wife or a child, would you want someone to do that to your family?” Webster said. “No matter what the situation is, you have to be a decent human being first."

IMPD says that in 2021, there were 20 total fatal hit-and-runs. Of those, 13 of those killed were pedestrians.

Police haven't released additional information on the latest deadly hit-and-run, including a description of the vehicle involved.

Anyone with more information may contact Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477 (TIPS).

WRTV Real-Time Editor Lucas Gonzalez contributed to this report.