A 53-year-old Colorado man is accused of hitting and killing a bicyclist with his Subaru Outback before leaving the scene, later telling investigators that he was convinced he had only hit a deer.
Background
Arthur Williams, 26, was riding southbound on Powhaton Road about a quarter-mile north of Jewell Avenue in Aurora when he was struck from behind sometime around midnight July 27, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Denver NBC affiliate KUSA. The stretch of road has no street lighting and only narrow shoulders. Video from a nearby natural gas facility later showed the collision at approximately 12:04 a.m., with a Subaru's passenger-side headlight going out after impact. The vehicle continued without stopping or deviating from its path, investigators determined.
Investigators initially had no witnesses and no time frame for when the collision occurred. Evidence collected at the scene eventually led them to release an image of a white Subaru Outback and ask the public for information about the vehicle's possible direction of travel.
Detectives with Aurora Police Department's Intelligence Unit used Flock Safety cameras to search for the Subaru after the vehicle's image was shared publicly, ultimately identifying a white Subaru Outback with extensive damage leaving a subdivision near South Harvest Road on the morning of July 28. A Flock camera captured the vehicle's license plate, allowing detectives to identify Jamie Gardner as the driver.
The Investigation
Police took Jamie Gardner into custody last week and charged him with one count of felony leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, authorities announced at a news conference. Officers responded to a hit-and-run after a passerby discovered an unresponsive man in the road near South Powhaton Road and East Jewell Avenue at about 9:30 a.m. July 27. Emergency medical personnel pronounced Williams dead at the scene.
When detectives contacted Gardner, he confirmed he owned the Subaru and said it was at an auto body shop because he had "hit a deer." He told investigators he remembered the incident occurring at about 12:02 a.m. because he was driving home from the airport after finishing work. Gardner said he was "stone sober" and believed something had walked in front of his vehicle, but did not stop because he thought he had struck a deer and had previously hit one in the same area.
When detectives told him he had struck a person, Gardner became "visibly upset," according to the affidavit. He said that he saw it "out of the corner of my eye" before adding, "I thought it was a deer." Gardner was reportedly adamant that he would have stopped if he had known he hit a person.
Investigators also reviewed video showing Williams leaving his home with his bicycle at about 9:20 p.m. July 26, helping narrow the time frame of the collision.
Key Takeaways
- Arthur Williams, 26, was training for his first triathlon and had played lacrosse before deciding he wanted to join the military
- Jamie Gardner allegedly struck Williams from behind on a dark road with no street lighting around midnight July 27
- Gardner told investigators he believed he hit a deer because he had previously struck one in the same area
- Flock Safety cameras helped police identify Gardner's white Subaru Outback after it was released publicly for tips
- Gardner posted $50,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court for a bond hearing Sept. 8
What's Next
Gardner remains free on $50,000 bond pending his next court appearance. A bond hearing is scheduled for Sept. 8 in Arapahoe County Court. The case represents a test of how juries and courts will evaluate hit-and-run claims where drivers insist they believed they struck an animal rather than a person.