Beloved Floral Shop Owner Victim Of Deadly Hit-Run In Belmont-Cragin

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A popular businessman was killed by a hit-and-run driver and left to die in the street in the Belmont-Cragin neighborhood.

Alberto Zavala, 64, was leaving his flower shop and crossing the 5200 block of Fullerton Avenue Sunday night when he was struck. The driver fled the scene.

Zavala was well-known in the neighborhood, CBS 2's Roseanne Tellez reports.

"For him to be gone in just an instant, in the blink of an eye, it's just crazy. He was a really good man," said Jennifer Morales.

Maria de la Luz Treto has owned the hair salon down the street for 20 years. She had flowers on her counter sent from Zavala on Saturday .

"He was like a father to me. He was a very good person, He helped me get in the business," she said.

Now flowers mark the spot where Zavala lost his life.

A community alert shows the type of vehicle that hit him--a white Ford Edge, possibly with tinted windows and
driver's side and front end damage.

Ald. Milly Santiago (31st) spent the morning passing out flyers "to basically ask people if they saw something to say something because we need to get this guy."

Neighbors have expressed concern about busy Fullerton Avenue and the four block distance between the stop lights. They also say the  cross walks are not clearly marked, leaving pedestrians vulnerable.

"I think it's dangerous. They should put something there are at least to stop or something, especially for the kids," said de la Luz Treto.