NEAH BAY — A 23-year-old Makah tribal member was killed last weekend when an SUV hit him in a Neah Bay campground.
Jordan Collin Brown of Neah Bay was struck and killed at about 1:40 a.m. Saturday, said both Prosecuting Attorney Deb Kelly, who also serves as the county coroner, and Makah Police Chief Sam White on Tuesday.
The circumstances around the death — as well as the identity of the driver — are unclear, White said.
He said the collision was not a hit-and-run.
White said it did not appear that the driver had hit Brown intentionally, but added that the investigation is continuing.
He said police are investigating if drugs or alcohol were a factor in the collision.
“At this point we think that if it becomes an issue of alcohol then we might have charges of vehicular homicide or vehicular manslaughter, but if there was no alcohol we believe it was just an accident,” he said.
Brown is survived by his parents, Kimm Brown and Susanna Jarrett, and would have celebrated his 24th birthday on Thursday, according to his obituary.
He worked at the Big Salmon Resort and had been involved in commercial fishing since he was 15, his obituary said.
While attending Neah Bay High School he played football. He also took advanced math and science classes at Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., after he received a full scholarship.
White said he would release more information when the investigation was complete.
If charges are filed, they would be filed through the federal government since the death occurred on tribal land.
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Family obituary: https://giftsnap.shop/article/20100901/obit/309019999/death-and-memorial-notice
