Ned Captroppa’s family is speaking out after the 68-year-old was killed in a hit-and-run Monday (Feb. 15) evening in downtown Penticton.
Captroppa’s granddaughter April Richards remembers her grandfather as an avid story-teller with a heart of gold.
“He’s a very loving person… he loves to tell stories, especially about the times him and I would go fishing,” Richards said fighting back tears over the phone.
Captroppa had lived in Penticton with his wife Linda Taylor for over 30 years and had become well-known within the community.
| Ned Captroppa, his granddaughter April Richards, and wife Linda Taylor pose for a photo. Richards said her entire family is heart-broken by the death of her grandfather. (Contributed by April Richards) |
He was walking home from getting a beer at a local pub Monday evening when he was struck by a vehicle at the intersection of Winnipeg Street and Nanaimo Avenue at approximately 7:40 p.m.
The driver did not stop. Captroppa was treated by paramedics at the scene and then taken to Penticton Regional Hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries.
“My mom called me and said ‘your grandfather has been killed,'” Richards said. “‘He just went out to have a beer at the place he usually has a beer at and was walking home and somebody hit him.'”
Richards, 32, has since been sharing her grandfather’s story on social media, in hopes that anyone with any information on the incident contacts police.
“I definitely want whoever did it to come forward… it’s just really tough, I just don’t understand how somebody can be so cruel,” she said.
“How could somebody do this? If they hit something why didn’t they pull over and see if my grandfather needs help instead of letting him die?
“It just bugs me because I have such a big heart. I’m just like my grandfather, you know, we love everybody and I’m not going to hate the person that did it. I just have a lot of questions, like why didn’t the person stop and see if he was OK or why didn’t they call 911?”
Richards said the incident has left the entire family extremely heart-broken, grieving and searching for answers.
“If anybody has any information please contact the RCMP, if they have a video or anything like that, or the person that did it, please come forward to put our hearts at rest.”
READ MORE: Hit-and-run kills Penticton man on Family Day
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