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Driver charged with killing bicyclist held for trial
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A Pitcairn man accused of killing a bicyclist in Point Breeze this summer in a hit-and-run incident will stand trial on various charges.
Jeffery M. McClure Jr., 29, faces formal arraignment next month in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court after being bound over for trial Friday following his preliminary hearing in Pittsburgh Municipal Court. Mr. McClure was held on all charges, including two felony counts of accidents involving death or personal injury and various summary vehicle code violations.
Police said Mr. McClure, a recovering opiate addict, was driving with a suspended driver's license when he fatally struck bicyclist James Price, 46, of Homewood on July 26 in the 7400 block of Penn Avenue.
Mr. McClure drove away, according to a police affidavit. Mr. McClure initially told homicide detectives that a motorcycle struck his vehicle and caused him to hit a guard rail or tree, damaging his car, the affidavit said.
But after the detectives confronted him with information that there was no evidence supporting his story, he told them that he hit a bicyclist while changing lanes, the affidavit said.
"McClure heard a loud thump and then saw that the right upper corner of the windshield was shattered," the affidavit said. "McClure knew immediately that he hit the bicyclist. He stated that he did not stop because he was scared."
First Published October 18, 2012 12:00 am
