Family, friends 'not well' after man hit and killed in Buckhead

ATLANTA - A family is asking the driver responsible in a deadly hit and run to come forward.

Authorities said Ethan McCallister was struck early Saturday morning along Piedmont Avenue and Lindbergh Drive.

"Unfortunately, I am not well," McCallister's best friend Ignacio Vargas explained. "The McCallisters are not well."

Friends said McCallister was out Friday night in Buckhead celebrating.

"What went out as a boys' night ending up being a horrific night," Vargas said.

It became a horrific night after investigators said a driver hit McCallister as he crossed the street.

The crash happened around 3 a.m. Saturday morning.

"I couldn't stop crying. I didn't think it was real," Vargas explained.

He was best friends with McCallister for about eight years.

He said the 28-year-old worked as a field engineer and lived in Marietta.

"He was selfless. He was always loving people. If you didn't have money, he'd give you that last dollar," Vargas described.

McCallister was a selfless person, who Vargas said stepped up when he lost a leg four years ago.

"He was the first person to take me out to events and say, like, 'You need to come out of this depression,'" Vargas said. "His plan for the future was to maintain his family."

That goal is now on hold forever.

Officials said he died of his injuries after he was taken to a hospital.

A witness at Saturday's scene turned dashcam video over to police showing the suspect's vehicle after the collision.

It's a gray Jeep Grand Cherokee.

"If you think you can get away with this, it's only a matter of time before you get caught," Vargas said.

McCallister's funeral will be held on Friday in White County.

Vargas said they want as many people there to celebrate his life.

There's also a fundraiser to help support his family during this time.

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