Hit-And-Run Victim Remembered As 'Great Guy'

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) -- As police continued the search for the suspect in a fatal hit-and-run, the man who was killed crossing the street in midtown Sacramento on Monday night was remembered fondly Tuesday.

Thomas Ferguson, 33, was struck on 19th and S streets and died overnight as a result of his injuries. He left a lasting memory with those who knew him.

"Great guy, very dependable," said Steven Kipgen of Uncle Vito's Pizza, where Ferguson once worked in the kitchen. "He did a tremendous job for us. I know that the people who have heard the news so far are pretty broken up about it because Thomas did touch everybody's lives."

"Thomas was a great guy," added Simon de Vere White, co-owner of de Vere's Irish Pub near the Capitol, where Ferguson worked as a chef. "He was well liked in the kitchen, and we're all very shocked and saddened today to hear that news."

Sacramento police say he spent the final moments of his life Monday night near the corner of 19th and S streets, a very busy intersection. That's when investigators say Ferguson was struck by a mystery vehicle, likely an SUV, going south on 19th.

Investigators tell CBS13 that firefighters got on the scene to find Ferguson lying in the roadway, but the suspect vehicle was gone.

"I couldn't believe it," said a woman who identified herself as the mother of Ferguson's girlfriend, Maria. "I just feel awful for my daughter."

De Vere White is hoping the person who killed Ferguson has a conscience and turns himself or herself in.

"My heart and prayers go out to Tom and his family," he said.