Gastonia mother pleads for answers in her son’s hit-and-run case

GASTONIA, N.C. – A Gastonia mother is desperate for answers after her son was killed in a hit and run. Five months after he was killed, she’s speaking out in hopes that someone will come forward with information that helps solve the case.

46-year-old Chris McCallister was riding his moped near the corner of Walnut Avenue and South Ransom Street back on June 9th.

“He was struck so hard that his helmet came off,” Kathy McCallister, Chris’ mother said. “You don’t just get to run over people and kill them and just walk away unscathed because we certainly aren’t.”

Kathy McCallister is keeping her son’s memory alive five months after he was killed in a hit and run. She’s now raising Chris’ 17-year-old daughter alone.

“How could you do that? How could you just drive away and leave somebody in the middle of the street?” McCallister asked.

Chris was hit in a residential neighborhood in daylight. The case remains open as Gastonia Police keep investigating the circumstances and asking for tips to bring closure for the family.

“Just getting some answers to some of these questions , it’s really hard to understand how someone can just get away with this and it’s a tough thing and I’m sure it’s tough for the person who did this,” Kathy McCallister said.

While Kathy continues to grieve she’s hoping someone will do the right thing.

“If you know anything just come forward and say it, any little thing it might help,” McCallister said. “You can reach out, you can be anonymous it won’t be any reflection on you but it will help move this to a closure.”

McCallister says police believe it could have been a gray SUV or crossover that hit Chris. If you know anything call Gastonia Crimestoppers at 704-861-8000. There is a $1,000 reward for info leading to an arrest.