Chicago Man, 83, Killed in Hit-and-Run

Father of three and grandfather of five was walking to a nearby video store

An 83-year-old Chicago man was struck and killed Tuesday evening by an SUV that witnesses said never stopped.

Norman Esho was walking to a video store about three blocks away from his home when he was struck, police said. 

Witness Mark Mann said the driver was speeding before he slammed into the elderly man crossing at the crosswalk at Devon and California around 6 p.m.

"I saw that SUV turn left at an accelerating speed and just hit the person," Mann said. "I don't know if it dragged him or knocked him over here but then it ran over him."

Esho's family said he takes walks for 10 to 15 minutes every morning and evening to see friends and visit the store just steps away from the corner where he was killed.

"Whoever did this, God saw him," Esho's daughter-in-law, Marina Nissa, said. "He will be punished by God."

Esho, a father of three and grandfather of five, moved to the United States from Iraq in 1994 and had many friends in the Assyrian community in the West Rogers park neighborhood where he lived. 

In his honor a memorial of candles and incense was created on the corner.

"It's very sad, a terrible story," Janet Pityou, a friend of Esho, said.

Neighbors said the intersection is dangerous for pedestrians and bicyclists, and accidents happen often.

Police on Wednesday continued to investigate to determine the identity of the person responsible.

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