FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) – Police are searching for a pickup truck driver who, they said, struck and killed an elderly man on a busy Fort Lauderdale road and fled the scene, leaving his loved ones devastated and looking for answers.

Fort Lauderdale Police units responded to reports of a hit-and-run near the 400 block of West Sunrise Boulevard, at around 8 p.m. on Monday.

First responders pronounced the pedestrian who was struck dead at the scene. He was later identified as 70-year-old Johnnie Lee Davis of Fort Lauderdale.

Now his grieving family, not only the police, are searching for answers.

“He was a loving, caring guy. Everyone loved him. He was full of life. He loved to dance. He loved to play cards,” Davis’s daughter, Jazzlynn Simmons, said.

Davis lost his life on the street he crossed countless times to visit friends and stop by the store at Sunrise and Northwest Fifth Avenue.

“Every night. He’s a regular customer,” the store’s owner, Mustofa Khan, said.

Investigators said the suspected motorist took off without stopping to help the victim.

7News cameras captured officers as they searched for clues along the westbound lanes of the roadway.

Westbound traffic along West Sunrise Boulevard was diverted northbound onto North Andrews Avenue while police investigated.

Tuesday morning, Simmons went to the store her father frequented, looking for information as to who would leave him to die in the street.

“That’s the awful thing. It’s a hard pill to swallow, and like I said earlier, I just want, you know, justice for my father,” Simmons said.

The photo 7News obtained of Davis shows him wearing a shirt with a photograph of Simmons’ mother, who passed away about a month ago.

Detectives said they are looking for a white pickup truck of unknown make and model.

If you have any information on this hit-and-run or the driver’s whereabouts, call FLPD Traffic Homicide Investigator Manny Garcia at 954 828-5726 or Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.

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