A retired Navy veteran was killed in a hit-and-run as he walked his dog in Missouri, his family says.
Officers said the 62-year-old man, identified as Rick Alsept, was found dead in the road following the Oct. 12 incident in Florissant, a suburb of St. Louis, according to the Florissant Police Department.
His dog was also found dead nearby, authorities said.
A neighbor’s surveillance footage captured Alsept being thrown at least 50 feet before the driver sped away, according to KTVI.
Alsept was determined to have been struck by 29-year-old Alonzo Johnson, police said. He was arrested and charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, according to investigators.
“That’s a human being, that’s a living soul, so for someone to not even stop to see what’s going on, it’s very hurtful,” Karin Anthony, whose footage captured the fatal moment, told KSDK.
Neighbors said Alsept would often walk his dog in a stroller in the neighborhood, according to KSDK and KMOV. His dog was called “the center of his universe,” his niece said on Facebook.
Alsept had three children and had “settled into a quiet retirement,” one of his sons, Derick Alsept said on Facebook. He moved from Ohio to Missouri after spending more than 20 years in the Navy, family said.
“Anyone who spoke to him could tell you that he had two great loves in his life—the Navy and his children,” Derrick Alsept said in his post.
Police said Johnson was jailed on a $50,000 bond. Additional charges are possible, investigators said.
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