Police make arrest after man in wheelchair is killed in hit-and-run

SOMERSET, Mass. (AP) - A Fall River man has been charged in the hit-and-run death of a Somerset man with cerebral palsy who was operating his electric wheelchair along the side of the road.

Thirty-five-year-old Richard Reis pleaded not guilty Wednesday to leaving the scene of a fatal accident. His bail was set at $10,000.

Prosecutors said Reis told police he was the driver of the car that struck 65-year-old James Moore on Friday night. Police said Reis' wife called them after getting a reverse 911 call about the accident to say one of the family cars matched the description but had been damaged in a different accident.

The Herald News reports defense attorney Nicholas Athanassiou said there may be issues with the identification of Reis as a suspect, and hinted he might seek to suppress Reis' statements to police.

Cox Media Group