2 drivers charged after pedestrians killed in separate, hit-and-run crashes in Durham

Durham police have charged two drivers in separate, hit-and-run crashes that killed pedestrians the first weekend of May, police announced Tuesday.

North Miami Boulevard crash

Investigators have charged Joshua Antoine Alston, 38, of Durham with a May 4 crash that killed 35-year-old Timothy Wayne Wright.

Wright was crossing North Miami Boulevard near Raynor Street shortly after 9 p.m. when he was struck by a dark blue Jeep Grand Cherokee, according to a news release. The SUV then struck a pole before the driver backed up and fled. Wright was taken to a hospital where he died.

Shortly after this crash, police think the same SUV was involved in another crash on Holloway Street near Herbert Street, the release stated. The suspect in that crash got out of the SUV briefly before fleeing.

Alston has been charged with involuntary manslaughter, misdemeanor death by vehicle, felony hit-and-run resulting in death, reckless driving, driving while license revoked for impaired revocation, and exceeding a safe speed. He was being held on those charges without bail in the Durham County jail Tuesday.

North Roxboro Street crash

Investigators have charged Nicole Lee, 22, of Durham with a May 5 crash that killed 28-year-old Phillip Farrington.

Farrington was struck in the 2400 block of North Roxboro Street just after 5 a.m. by a northbound 2014 Lexus sedan, according to the news release.. The driver fled the scene. Farrington was taken to a local hospital where he died.

Lee has been charged with felony hit-and-run resulting in death, no operator’s license, and operating a motor vehicle with no insurance, the release stated. She was released on a $6,500 unsecured bond.

Both crashes remain under investigation and could result in more charges, police said.