This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A 21-year-old Tooele man has been charged in a fatal hit-and-run crash earlier this year in downtown Salt Lake City.
According to charges filed last week in 3rd District Court, William Ryan Fullmer began the night of April 25 with a couple shots of Grey Goose vodka before drinking four to six beers during a Utah Jazz game. After the game, because Fullmer was "too intoxicated to drive," Fullmer's friend drove the man's car to a parking lot near 200 South and 500 East, where her car was parked, charges state.
The two left the parking lot in the separate cars. That's when Fullmer passed his friend on the right and hit 50-year-old pedestrian Eugene Nelson, according to court documents.
Nelson, of Salt Lake City, was walking south across the street, against the light at the intersection of 500 South and Main Street, police said.
Fullmer later told police he "struck a bag, a dog or a deer," after which he pulled over, "panicked and left the scene," the charges state. The man denied buying or drinking any vodka prior to the crash.
Fullmer's Acura MDX had damage to its front end, hood and windshield, according to court documents, and there was blood and hair in the windshield.
Fullmer faces a third-degree felony count of leaving the scene of a fatal crash. He has also been charged with misdemeanor DUI and obstruction of justice.