Okinawa police investigate possible hit-and-run involving U.S. military vehicle

NAHA, Okinawa Pref. (Kyodo) Okinawa prefectural police said Sunday they have begun examining a vehicle used by U.S. military personnel in connection with the death of a man in the village of Yomitan in a possible hit-and-run accident.

The vehicle was brought to a garage close to the site where the man's body was found. The police said hair was found on the broken windshield of the vehicle.

The police said they will conduct a DNA test to see whether the hair on the vehicle is that of the deceased.

A passerby phoned the police after finding the man's body near a road about 1 km from the Yomitan village office around 5:15 p.m. on Saturday. There was bleeding from the head.

The man was later identified by a relative as Masakazu Hokama, 66. An autopsy revealed that a broken upper spine contributed to his death, the police said.