PHOENIX — An underage drinker has been arrested after hitting and killing a pedestrian in Central Phoenix, according to police records.
Phoenix police report that on Tuesday night around 11 p.m., two men were walking on the sidewalk near 36th Street and McDowell Road when a Chevy Aveo came up on the sidewalk and struck 35-year-old Thomas Taraba.
The impact reportedly sent Taraba flying about 75 feet. His friend quickly found him and began CPR. Taraba was later pronounced dead at a Valley hospital.
Witnesses say the driver, later identified as 20-year-old Zachary Bryan Showers, continued driving, eventually parking at an apartment complex near 44th Street and McDowell Road.
Showers allegedly returned to the scene and started asking questions to officers, who realized he matched the description given to them by witnesses.
Police say car parts left at the scene matched car parts missing from Showers' vehicle.
Court documents say Showers' B.A.C. was recorded to be .154, nearly twice the legal limit.
Showers was arrested for manslaughter, endangerment and leaving the scene of a fatal accident. He is being held without bond since he was already on release for a burglary and aggravated assault arrest in February.
