A homicide investigation is underway in Cherokee County.
According to a press release from the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, the communications center received a 911 call at 12:24 this (Mon) morning regarding an individual that had been ran over at a farm place east of Cherokee. The caller stated that the driver ran over the victim and then left the scene. Deputies and other agencies performed lifesaving measures, but the victim, identified as Christopher Wheeler, was pronounced dead a short time later.
The suspect, identified as 66-year-old Richard Hammond, was later located and booked without bond into the Cherokee County Jail on a 1st Degree Murder charge. The incident remains under investigation by the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa DCI. No further information will be released at this time.
The Cherokee Police Department, Cherokee Fire Department, and Cherokee Ambulance assisted at the scene.
