Person of interest identified in death of man fatally hit by vehicle in Wheeling
Jose Fermin Zavala-Hernandez | Wheeling police
WHEELING - Police are searching for a man in connection with the death of a father who was fatally struck by a vehicle Wednesday in northwest suburban Wheeling, an incident that police are investigating as a homicide.
Jose Fermin Zavala-Hernandez, 38, is considered a person of interest in the death of 32-year-old Carlos Maciel-Pulido, Wheeling police said in a statement.
Officers responded to reports of a crash about 7:30 a.m. in the 700 block of Equestrian Drive and found a Toyota SUV partially lodged into the front of a home, police said. No one inside the home was injured, but Maciel-Pulido was found near the scene of the crash and pronounced dead at the scene.
Autopsy results released Thursday confirmed he died of injuries from being struck by a vehicle and ruled his death a homicide, the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.
Maciel-Pulido was a father of three who lived in a nearby apartment complex, police said.
Investigators believe Zavala-Hernandez had a “strong personal disagreement” with Maciel-Pulido stemming from a May 17 domestic violence incident, police said.
He was previously arrested for aggravated DUI, possession of a controlled substance and obstructing/resisting a peace officer by Arlington Heights police but was released on an electronic monitoring ankle bracelet, police said.
Anyone with information was asked to call Wheeling police at 847-459-2636.