Posted on May 08, 2023

 

Man turns himself in following fatal hit-and-run in Hobbs

HOBBS, NM - The Hobbs Police Department said a man is under arrest in connection with the death of a pedestrian last week, reports KCBD.

The incident occurred Monday night in the area of Marland Boulevard and E. Broadway Street.  Officers responding to the scene of a pedestrian crash shortly after 8 p.m. found a 64-year-old man laying in the roadway.  The victim, identified as Victor Chavez, was pronounced dead after being transported to Covenant Hobbs Hospital.

Police later obtained security footage of the vehicle that was possibly involved in the accident, which witnesses described as a black Chevrolet pickup truck.  Police said 39-year-old Gabriel Ortiz Espino went to Hobbs police on Thursday, telling detectives he believed he had hit somebody or something while driving north on Marland Boulevard on Monday.

Following the interview with police, Espino was arrested and charged with accidents involving death or personal injuries, and tampering with evidence.

He was held at the Lea County Detention Center.