Editor’s note: This press conference is available at the bottom of this article.
GATES, N.Y. (WROC) — 19-year-old Greece resident Joshua Reis was arrested Friday morning in relation to the fatal hit-and-run on Elmgrove Road on January 15, the Gates Police Department announced during a press conference.
Reis is charged with leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in someone’s death. This is a Class D felony, according to Gates PD.
Reis was arraigned at Gates Town Court on Friday morning after, according to Gates PD, he turned himself in.
“In a situation like this we can come there and conduct a thorough investigation and make sure that everything is taken care of properly, and sometimes we can avoid incidents like this where it gets to this level,” said Chief Robert Long.
He added the other passengers in the car will not face charges.
Gates Police investigated a fatal hit-and-run of a pedestrian that occurred on January 15. The incident occurred at approximately 11:20 p.m. in the area of the YMCA on Elmgrove Road, police said.
According to GPD, 55-year-old Hilton resident Brenda Wells was struck by a light-colored SUV traveling northbound from Buffalo Road towards Rt 531.
“If you see something say something. We’re in a community that’s plagued by gun violence, by stabbings, and there are people that know a lot that just don’t share that with the police. There are ways to remain anonymous. There are ways to help us out. We can’t be everywhere at every time. This is your fellow men or women that are getting killed here on our streets,” said Long.
Long added, “We try to do our best to put closure to these families, to apprehend those that are doing the bad things in our community. I can speak for the Gates Police Department, but I think I have the sentiments of all the police departments around here that we want to do the right thing and bring the right people to justice and also give the victims and their families closure in a lot of these cases.”