The 66-year-old Fresno man was hit while crossing the street, and dragged for eight-tenths of a mile underneath a pickup truck.
Marty Vasquez works at the Fresno Rescue Mission just half a block from where Hill was hit. He heard people yelling and saw a truck in Downtown Fresno dragging something.
"I was hoping it was a trash bag, or a piece of cardboard, or something of that nature. Come to find out it was a body, so me and my partner ran out to the road, trying to get the drivers attention and get him to stop, but low and behold, he didn't stop," Vasquez said.
Hill was dragged all the way down to Belgravia Street nearly a mile away. He died at the scene. Fresno Police Sgt. Tony Dewall believes the driver must have known he had hit somebody.
"Based on the evidence at the scene it would be almost impossible for them to have known they didn't hit somebody." Dewall said.
Several witnesses attempted to chase after the pickup, yelling at the driver, but Vasquez said it did not appear that the driver was paying any attention and was not driving fast, like he was trying to get away.
Police describe the vehicle as a dark red or maroon pickup truck with an extended cab.
Jimmy Hill was a resident of the Renaissance at Santa Clara, an apartment house built to provide housing for the city's homeless population.
The Fresno County Coroner's Office said Hill has a brother who lives in Fresno.
