A gruesome scene unfolded in West Baltimore last week as a man was fatally injured in a hit-and-run incident that has since been ruled a homicide. According to details acquired from WMAR-2 News, the occurrence took place on January 4 when a 48-year-old man was struck by a car on West North Avenue.
The victim, Philip Jones, suffered multiple injuries and remained in critical condition before succumbing to his injuries three days later. A nearby resident told WMAR-2 News, “We speak all the time he used to come through here all the time,” recalling Jones as a familiar face in the neighborhood. The suspect, Michael Manigo, 31, was arrested after police located the vehicle involved, a KIA Sportage, disabled in the 2300 block of Annapolis Road. Manigo, who was in the vehicle at the time of the arrest, reportedly told investigators that his car was “bewitched” and “controlled by Satan.”
Baltimore City police updated that Manigo had originally been charged with attempted first-degree murder, with upgraded charges pending. Yet, no vehicle should wield such power, no steering wheel should turn under such dark provocations as claimed, leaving a community to grapple with an inconceivable tragedy. In a statement obtained by WBAL-TV, Jones was described by his family as a churchgoer with a fondness for singing in the choir, bowling, and playing the piano. “He’s my heart, and a piece of me died when he passed,” said Tina Jones, the victim’s sister, reflecting on the devastating loss…