Family of Victim In Fatal Sonoma Hit-And-Run Urges Driver To Come Forward
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) - The family and friends of a high ranking San Francisco city official who was killed by a truck while jogging in Sonoma County have appealed to the public for help in finding the driver.
Police believe a white Ford F-150 pick-up struck 63-year-old Don Casper about a mile from the Korbel Winery on Aug. 14.
KCBS' Anna Duckworth Reports:
Casper grew up in North Beach and went on to become vice president of the San Francisco Civil Service Commission. Fellow commissioners stood by the family outside San Francisco City Hall as they urged the driver to turn himself in.
"Please, please come forward," said Bernadette Casper Castagnola, a cousin. "Doing so will make things easier for you, our family and Donald's friends."
Castagnola said the family has grappled with the realization the driver may not have intentionally struck their relative as they tried to make sense of the tragedy.
Casper was on an evening jog along River Road just west of Wilshire Drive when the crash happened around 7 p.m. Footage from the winery helped investigators determine the make and model of the pick-up truck.
Casper was appointed to the Civil Service Commission in 2000 by Mayor Willie Brown. Colleagues described him as part of the city's conscience, remembering him as a kind and gentle man who had an encyclopedic knowledge of civil service issues.
"Not only did the family lose a beloved member, the city lost a great asset," said Commissioner Morgan Gorono.
A $12,500 reward is being offered for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in the case. The Santa Rosa California Highway Patrol Office is investigating the crash.
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