In reference to the Feb. 1 article “6 teens charged with manslaughter”:

On May 14, 2006, as I was traveling to Salisbury from Rockwell, I noticed a cross of flowers and a sign that said “Daddy” near Sides Road. Later, I learned that Michael Jason Brown, 27, had been killed in a single-vehicle “scooter” accident on May 12. This brought numerous questions to mind.

I ride motorcycles, and it was all but inconceivable how a man could go down on a scooter and die from the injuries. I expressed my feelings to those with me, and every time I passed the location, the same thought plagued me: There must have been another vehicle involved in the accident.

Now, it seems the truth has been brought to light. In the early morning of May 12, 2006, a vehicle reportedly driven by Eric Gregory Taylor and occupied by five others struck Michael Jason Brown and fled the scene. Michael died alone, lying on the side of Highway 52. Why?

How long did Michael lie there before he died? If he had had assistance from at least six other people, would he still be alive? I don’t have the answer to these questions, and I don’t understand the psychology which causes an individual to leave a critically injured person and not render assistance. Why did those who abandoned him stay silent? Why did they fail to call for help? Michael Brown’s death lies on their conscience for all eternity.

I served two tours in Vietnam as an assault helicopter unit commander. When I inserted my men into an area, I always returned to extract them. I would not, and did not, ever leave anyone behind.

My heart goes out to Michael Jason Brown’s children and family. My heart also aches that he was so disrespectfully left on the side of the highway to die alone.

— Harold R. Fisher

Rockwell