A white man in Greensboro, North Carolina was charged with murder after repeatedly striking a Black man with his truck.
On Sunday (Sept. 20), Paul Steven Voss Jr. ran over Anthony Hill a few times with his vehicle. Ryan Pressley, a witness of the crime, told the Triad City Beat that the hit and run came after the two, who reportedly knew each other, had a heated exchange.
According to Pressley, Hill attempted to grab a bucket, but Voss drove off with him hanging from the truck. Hill was thrown into a pile of tree limbs and had difficulty getting up, but when he was finally able to stand, Voss allegedly pulled around and struck him twice before fleeing the scene. Cops responding to the call of the incident discovered Hill’s dead body upon their arrival.
Voss later turned himself in and was charged with first-degree murder. An investigation is underway to determine whether Hill’s death was a homicide. Authorities said they don’t believe Voss’ act was “racially motivated in any way.”
Pressley said the people in the neighborhood think Voss is a man who “doesn’t like Black people,” but shows up just “to buy crack.” He claimed that residents in the area weren’t completely surprised by Voss’ actions as he’d done something similar before.
“He already tried to run over three teenagers near the bottom of Acorn,” Pressley said. “The only reason they got away from him is he hit a fence, and they were able to jump over the fence.”
As for Hill, his loved ones gathered in a vigil to honor his life and legacy.
“Anthony, when he walked through the neighborhood no matter what time of day, he would wave,” Greensboro resident Renee Brooks recalled.
“He was a good-hearted person,” Hill’s aunt Barbara Purcell said. “He tried to help everybody.”
“God loved him,” she continued. “We loved him. I pray that this won’t happen again. I pray that this will never, ever happen again.”