Drunk driver allegedly hits and kills a 76-year-old Dearborn man walking home from buying groceries

DEARBORN, Mich. (WXYZ) - A drunk driver allegedly hits and kills a 76-year-old Dearborn man walking home from the grocery store Saturday.

“It’s just a tragedy.  He didn’t deserve it.  Not like that,” said Aziz Al Roshood.  A minivan hit his grandfather, 76-year-old Jebary Al Saad as he stepped into the street to walk back home from the store.

Police said alcohol appears to be a factor in the accident and that the woman driving a white Chrysler Town & Country hit Jebary around 5 p.m.

“It was routine for him.  He would go to Greenland over here, go shopping go to the mosque.  This kind of thing is just unbelievable,” said Aziz.

Witnesses tell 7 Action News they saw a male in the passenger seat and that the minivan appeared to be speeding.  The vehicle hit the older man so hard he flew several feet into the air.  He was pronounced dead at the hospital.  Aziz said his grandfather had been in good health and great shape. 

“It just took us by shock. I would rather have had him go by a heart attack or a disease than be struck by a car,” said Aziz.

Police have the female driver in custody.  Many people in the community knew Jebary and Aziz said his grandfather did not just help raise him, but had been like a grandfather to the entire neighborhood. 

“He would say, I’m going to die happy when I see you get into medical school.  And it’s a tragedy because I was graduating this semester from U of M Dearborn and planning to take my MCAT’s and stuff.  And I really wish he could have been here to see me go through all that,” said Aziz.

Sunday the local mosque will start saying prayers for Jebary as part of their services.