Police looking for leads, including white pickup, in 1998 fatal hit-and-run
It has been 20 years since Troy Armstrong was killed in a hitand-run case that has never been solved.
The 23-year-old Dunnville man died after he was run over by a pickup truck in Elfrida on June 20, 1998.
On the 20th anniversary of Armstrong’s death, Hamilton police are drawing attention to a Crime Stoppers re-enactment video as they continue to look for leads in the case.
Armstrong was the passenger in a vehicle stopped at Highway 20 and Highway 56 when a pickup truck hit them from behind.
When they pulled over, Armstrong got out of the car and exchanged words with the driver of the truck, police said.
He kicked at the truck as it started to move, smashing the side mirror on the driver’s side and becoming entangled in it.
He was struck by the truck after being dragged under it. He died in hospital.
The case had been ruled accidental, but pressure from the Armstrong family resulted in police and the coroner’s office reopening the case in 2008.
The family’s persistence, including hiring their own private investigator, led then-Hamilton police chief Brian Mullan to order a new probe in 2004. Detectives interviewed suspects, but never charged anyone.
The truck is described as an early 1980s white pickup, with dark blue wooden racks on top of the box, and green west-coast style side mirrors that extend out from the cab.
The driver of the truck is described as a white male in his early 30s, with a stocky build and short, straight black hair.
Any witnesses to the collision who have not spoken to police are asked to call Det. Const. Hendrik Vandercraats at 905-546-4753 or 905-546-4755 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.