ATLANTA — Police have released dash camera video obtained by a witness of a hit-and-run that killed a local man mourned by many, including stars from “Real Housewives of Atlanta.”
The department is previously asked for the public's help to identify the driver of a vehicle involved in the fatal crash that killed Ethan McCallister, 28.
According to an incident report obtained by 11Alive from the Atlanta Police Department on Wednesday, a man is now charged in his death.
The dashcam video clip, released on a Tuesday afternoon in April, shows what police believed was the suspect vehicle - a gray Jeep Grand Cherokee - immediately after it hit McCallister. Previously, cops reported the suspect’s vehicle was believed to be a black Range Rover.
Officers at the scene reported they found McCallister in the roadway after being by hit the vehicle. The driver left the scene, police said.
McCallister was taken to the hospital where he later died as a result of his injuries.
The report states officers later identified the owner of the Jeep as a suspect and secured warrants for vehicular homicide. Months later on August 11, police said they responded to Gate F6 at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport regarding a wanted man arriving from the Dominican Republic.
Customs officers helped Atlanta Police arrest the man on the Delta flight as it arrived at the gate. Police said the man's warrant was confirmed, and he was then taken to the Fulton County Jail.
McCallister graduated from Georgia Tech and became recognizable on social media through his friendship with some of the cast members from reality television who have since posted about his passing.
Kim Zolciak-Biermann, star of Bravo’s “Don’t Be Tardy,” plead for the public’s help on social media in finding the person who struck McCallister.
“We will miss your huge beautiful smile, constant jokes, cowboy boots and infamous shirts. You were always the life of the party!! One of the most genuine kindhearted people I have ever known. Always willing to help anyone anywhere. We love you Ethan and I will make sure justice is served. PLEASE HELP,” she wrote in an Instagram post.
Brielle Biermann, who was close friends with McCallister, detailed her feelings of devastation on IG.
“Ethan.... i [sic] can’t believe I’m even writing this. I’m sick sick sick to my stomach. You are my happiness my joy my light in this very dark world.. the life of the party and the sweetest soul I’ve been blessed to know. You are my best friend,” Biermann wrote.
A close family friend set up an online fundraiser to help pay for Ethan's funeral expenses and support his family.