Gadsden County community demands answers after hit-and-run death

GADSDEN COUNTY, Fla. (WCTV) - A Gadsden County community is seeking answers after a man was hit and killed by a car on Liberty Rd.

The incident happened in the Sawdust community. Family members said 28-year old Eddie Butler, Jr. was last seen getting in a car, but a few hundred feet from that location, Florida Highway Patrol reported he was hit by a car.

His wife said she wants answers. “I won’t be able to sleep ‘til I know what really happened,” said Mercedes Butler.

Butler was released from prison four days before he was hit, and his wife said he turned his life around while behind bars. “When I picked him up from prison, he wanted to go to church and give a testimony about what he’s been through and how it made him a better person in life,” said Mercedes Butler. She also said he planned to mentor young kids to keep them from going to jail.

She said when he was released they made plans to spend as much time together as possible. “We were supposed to go on a date the next day, and we were talking about Valentine’s Day because that’s the day we got married,” said Mercedes Butler.

Butler’s funeral is planned for Saturday, but the family is still trying to raise money to properly bury him. A GoFundMe has been setup to help cover the expenses.

Florida Highway Patrol is handling the incident, but will not comment while the investigation is ongoing.

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