Sunday October 6th, 2024 7:04PM

Bicyclist killed in Jackson Co. hit and run was local pastor

By B.J. Williams

GAINESVILLE -  The bicyclist killed in a crash with a hit and run driver Monday has been identified as a Gainesville pastor.

The Georgia State Patrol said David McCloy Fitzpatrick, 65,  of Braselton was struck by a vehicle as he rode his bicycle on Highway 53 at New Cut Road around 1:30 p.m.
 
According to fellow pastors in the area, Fitzpatrick had been the pastor of Gainesville Vineyard Church on Bradford Street, just off the downtown square, for the past 17 years.
 
Emergency responders said that Fitzpatrick succumbed to his injuries at the site crash. 
 
The suspect in the crash, Billy Eugene Bowers, Sr., 51, of Gainesville was found after a search by both Jackson County and Hall County authorities. 
 
Bowers faces a list of charges, including first degree homicide by vehicle, DUI, and failure to report an accident with injury, according to the Georgia State Patrol. 
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