Police investigate if Springfield walker killed by driver was targeted

Jeffrey Campbell, 53, of Springfield, was arrested early Friday morning after police alleged he spit on an officer as they tried to bring him in for questioning on the crash that left another man dead, according to a Springfield Police Division report.

Police were first called to the scene just before 1 a.m., when a man called 9-1-1 to report he saw a car hit someone near the intersection of South Shaffer and Court streets.

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Phillip Carlton, 41, was struck as he stood on a concrete median, Sgt. Brett Bauer said.

The victim was taken to Springfield Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Another victim, 42-year-old Keisha Baker, was injured, Bauer said, but not seriously.

“She said she felt impact,” he said.

Tire tracks slice straight through the middle of the concrete median. The tracks don’t veer for more than 30 feet as they go along the concrete where Bauer said Carlton was standing.

“It’s obvious that that vehicle came in contact with a pedestrian … what is less obvious is whether that was intentional or whether that was accidental,” Bauer said.

Tips about a suspect vehicle led police to the Nite Owl bar on West Main Street where the vehicle was located, along with Campbell.

When officers tried to take Campbell in for questioning, he spit on them, Bauer said.

“He is in the jail on unrelated charges, but we’ll continue the investigation to see if he’s connected to this (crash),” Bauer said.

Bauer said police are investigating two separate angles: a traffic crash but also a criminal offense of whether the driver purposefully struck the victim.

No charges related to the crash have been filed.

Campbell didn’t appear in Clark County Municipal Court for his arraignment Friday morning because he was being uncooperative, according to court records.

But a judge set his bond at $5,000 and rescheduled his appearance for Nov. 8.

Police said they tested Campbell for drugs and alcohol, but it could be months before results are returned.

This is the second fatal crash in the city this year, according to police records, and the first fatal pedestrian crash in 2016.

Last year there were 10 fatal crashes in Springfield, police said, and two pedestrians were killed in the city.