Police looking for driver who struck, killed disabled man

CHARLOTTE — Police are looking for a driver who killed a disabled man on Alleghany Street in Charlotte. His family and friends are asking for help. They want anyone who knows anything about the hit-and-run to step forward.

"He loved to give," Dietrich Trimble, the victim's sister, said. "He loved people. He loved the Lord. This is just a major void that's going to be in the lives of our family."

Fifty-year-old Carrington "Jake" Ware's sister says he was an inspiration to those who knew him.

"I never saw him use his disability, having cerebral palsy, as a reason not to surmount any obstacle," Trimble said.

Ware had recently fallen in love with a woman who shared his struggles.

"I'm in a wheelchair, and he's walking with cerebral palsy, but he gave me strength," Elaine Elston said.

Elston told us she met Ware on the bus they both road to church. She told Channel 9 they had just celebrated Valentine's Day at her home, and they even planned out their future. Ware left to catch the bus home, but he never made it.

"I looked up the street, and I saw the fire trucks, and the police car."

He was hit on Alleghany Street near Pebblebrook Drive. Witnesses told Channel 9 they heard the accident, but didn't see the car. Ware was left lying in the middle of the road and died before police arrived.

"I saw his hat, and I knew it was him," Elston said.

Police still haven't found the driver who did it. CMPD -- and Ware's sister -- are asking for help.

"He looked out for other people, and now I would like to ask people to look out for him," Trimble said.

On Monday, CMPD stressed how much they need the public's help in finding whoever hit and killed Ware. Officers said there was no debris at the crime scene from the car that hit Ware -- which is very unusual.
 
Police are currently trying to process surveillance video from Harding High School nearby and said the driver could live in the area near the accident, something that is common in these types of cases.

Police said hit and runs are difficult to solve and this one is even more challenging because of the lack of evidence. That's why they need eyewitnesses to come forward.

“A human being is dead and a family is suffering and they need some kind of closure to why this happened,” said Detective Steve Williams.

Ware’s family is also urging anyone with information to call police.

WSOC