Garbage truck driver charged with vehicular homicide in death of Atlanta grandfather

ATLANTA - Police in Atlanta have charged the driver of a garbage truck in connection to a deadly pedestrian crash that killed a southwest Atlanta grandfather on Monday morning.

Christopher Gunn was charged with second-degree vehicular homicide and failure to yield while entering a roadway

PEDESTRIAN KILLED IN CRASH ON CAMPBELLTON ROAD IN ATLANTA

The crash happened before 11 a.m. on the 2200 block of Campbellton Road. Atlanta police said 70-year-old Jerry Hood was walking in front of the YMCA building when he was struck by a garbage truck.

Hood’s family spoke with FOX 5 about the arrest on Tuesday. They said they are devastated.

"He was just walking. He was just walking to the store, so I can't imagine a dump truck hitting him," his daughter Tywonna Whelchel said.

Hood was retired and poured everything he had into his four daughters and extended family. 

"That was my great uncle and he taught me a lot. Just about being a family man and keeping the family together. So, that is what I am going to try to do," his great nephew said.

Relatives said Hood had an incredible sense of humor.

"He was a Jokester. Always had plenty of jokes. We loved to have him around. Even though he had his own children, I feel like we are all sisters and brothers. He loved us all," Whelchel commented. 

For one of Hood’s daughters, the way he died leaves an indelible image in her mind.

"It hurts that he died in the circumstances he did. You keep that in your head. That's hard for me. That is hard picturing my dad up under a truck," Whelchel remarked.

The Hood family said a silver lining in this tragedy is that police did charge the driver.

Gunn was booked into the Fulton County jail.

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