A standout University of Oregon football player has been arrested after he allegedly killed a 46-year-old man in a horror hit-and-run incident. Daylen Amir Austin, 19, was charged with felony hit-and-run on Monday evening, as law enforcement authorities shared unsettling details regarding the incident.
According to reported dispatch records, police initially responded to a stabbing report at 9:15 pm, 3 miles from the college campus. The victim was found on the road with a large laceration to his neck. A hammer was also found discovered near the victim, who has not been identified. Police described their investigation as "complex" and confirmed that it is still ongoing, without sharing further details.
Harrowing Hit-and-Run Incident
Roughly two hours after the hit-and-run incident, Austin was arrested at an apartment at around 11:45 pm. Investigators have not yet explained why the 911 call reporting the incident described it as a stabbing. They have only said that the situation is "complex."
On Wednesday, Austin, a sophomore defensive running back, was arraigned at Lane County Jail.
At his arraignment, the 19-year-old did not enter a plea, and circuit court judge Kamala Shugar granted him conditional release, as reported by The Oregonian.
Officials have said that they are continuing to gather evidence regarding the death, and a final charging decision will be made by the Lane County District Attorney's Office.
Following the charges, the Oregon football program issued a statement acknowledging the incident.
Mystery Continues into Death
The team did not provide further comment, saying that they are awaiting additional information. Before the crash, neighbors told KEZI of hearing a vehicle driving loudly through their neighborhood.
"About 10 'til nine I head a car zooming around the neighborhood up and down what sounded like Polk and then up and down Fourth, and then it sounded like he was behind us," neighbor Seth Lockard said.
"It just sounded like he was doing circles for about 10-15 minutes going really fast."
Locals said that their street is known for speeding drivers who try to bypass a nearby main road. Anthony Sharpy, a neighbor, said that blood remained at the scene for hours following the crash.
"The next morning when I drove by, there was still just puddles of blood and some gloves in the street, so I put some hydrogen peroxide on the blood and put 5-gallon buckets of water on it to try and wash it away because people walk their dogs right there, there's flies and birds flying around," he said.
"We just didn't want to see the blood in the street."
