Police officer turns in his own brother for deadly hit and run
FRESNO, California -- At a police briefing Sunday, officers were told about a pedestrian killed while crossing a street. The driver left the scene but evidence left behind raised an eyebrow for one Fresno police officer.
Kong Yang, 33, was standing in the street early Sunday morning, likely walking across the road, when Fresno police say he was struck and killed.
No one knew he was dead until hours later when a passerby alerted officers of his body in the bushes.
Yang was 600 feet east of Millbrook when he was hit.
Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer said, "We don't know what his alcohol level was but we do know he was in the roadway when he was struck in and not in a crosswalk. Which would generally make the primary collision factor pedestrian caused but still Cody Sanders has a responsibility to stop and he didn't."
However, detectives were led to Sanders in a very unusual way. Hours after the crime, officers beginning their shift were told about the hit-and-run, including specific details about the wanted car and driver.
"After the briefing, the officer called his brother and asked him if he had been involved in a collision the night before. And his brother said he was driving home from work. He's a security guard at Club Imperio and he was driving westbound in the number one lane and that he had hit something that he thought was either a dog or a sign."
The suspect called his girlfriend and said he went back to the area and did not see anything unusual at the scene, so he left -- until his brother's conscience prompted him to do the right thing.
The officer convinces his brother to talk to detectives, which led to his arrest for the hit-and-run, solving this case.
Investigators are not sure if the two crossed paths at the nightclub they were both at earlier in the evening. However, they are reviewing surveillance video from Club Imperio for any additional information.
Cody Sanders is facing one count of felony hit-and-run. The chief said despite the outcome, Sanders and his police officer brother remain on good terms.
