Pedestrian Killed in Hit-Run Identified

A pedestrian killed over the weekend by a hit-and-run driver was identified Monday as an 18-year-old Oxnard resident, the Ventura County medical examiner’s office reported.

Julio Guerra was identified after his mother, Fedelia, heard on the radio Monday that officials needed help identifying the victim, said deputy coroner Armando Chavez.

She had filed a missing-person report with Oxnard police Sunday night after Guerra failed to return home, but coroner’s officials were not told of that report when they contacted police, Chavez said.

Guerra was crossing Oxnard Boulevard near Orchard Place when he was struck about 4 a.m. Sunday, according to the California Highway Patrol. Officers found him an hour later after drivers reported seeing a body in the roadway.

Guerra, who moved from Mexico to Oxnard about two years ago, lived with his mother and brother, authorities said. He had been at a local restaurant with his family when he left on foot Saturday night with a friend.

The vehicle that struck Guerra was a Ford Aerostar van, probably yellowish in color and around a 1987 model, said CHP Officer Dave Webb.

The van has passenger-side front end damage that probably includes a dented fender, broken headlamp and turn signal and a shattered windshield, Webb said. Anyone with information should call the CHP at 654-4571.