Dagenham murder probe: First picture of man, 47, killed in east London hit-and-run as victim named

John Avers, 47, died of multiple injuries after he was hit by a car in Dagenham
Metropolitan Police
April Roach @aprilroach2818 September 2020
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A 47-year-old man who died after a hit-and-run in east London has been named by police.

Police were called to a car park in Dagenham just before midnight on Sunday to reports that a pedestrian had been hit by a car.

Emergency services rushed to Whalebone Lane South where they found a 47-year-old man suffering serious injuries.

The victim, now formally identified as John Avers, died at the scene a short time later, Metropolitan Police said.

His next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specially-trained officers.

A post-mortem examination found that Mr Avers died from multiple injuries.

Detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command believe Mr Avers was hit by a car which then left the scene.

No arrests have been made but police are treating the incident as a murder inquiry.

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Wrigley, from the Met’s Specialist Crime North team, is leading the investigation. He said: “My thoughts are with John’s family at this very sad time.

“I and my officers believe John was deliberately harmed and we are treating this incident as a murder inquiry. We are using every available tactic to trace who was responsible for John’s death.

“I know that there were people in the area and I am asking them to tell us what they saw or heard. If you know anything at all about this horrible crime, please don’t keep it to yourself.

“If you don’t want to talk to us, you can speak to Crimestoppers anonymously. The most important thing you can do is share what you know.”

Any witnesses or anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or tweet @MetCC quoting CAD 8443/13Sep. Alternatively contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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