Man dies after driver hits cyclists in Arizona race

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — A cyclist has died after he was struck last month by an Arizona driver who plowed his pickup truck into a group of people participating in a bike race, authorities said Monday.

Jeremy Barrett, 58, died of his injuries Saturday, said Arizona Department of Public Safety spokesman Bart Graves.

Barrett was well-known in the cycling community for welcoming new riders and hosting bicyclists who were training in southern Arizona, friends said.

“He was very selfless,” said Joey Luliano, president of the Arizona Bicycle Racing Association. “I was told that while the paramedics were working on him, he was asking how his friends were and if they were OK.”

The accused driver, Shawn Michael Chock, 36, was indicted last week on nine counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count each of fleeing an accident and unlawful flight. He pleaded not guilty to the charges Monday in Navajo County Superior Court.

Navajo County Attorney Brad Carlyon said he is expecting more charges to be filed in the wake of Barrett’s death.

“Once we have received all the law enforcement reports, we will review to determine if any new charges are appropriate to bring,” Carlyon said.

Hunter T. Lewis, an attorney representing Chock, declined last week to comment on the indictment and did not respond to messages Monday from The Associated Press.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety is overseeing the investigation. Graves, the agency’s spokesman, said other injured cyclists have a long road to recovery.

Cyclists die in Southern Nevada

Last December, five bicyclists were killed near Las Vegas when a truck driver rammed into a group of 20 riders. The driver, Jordan Barson, was high on methamphetamine.

He was sentenced earlier this month to serve 16 to 40 years in prison after he pleaded guilty in April to two counts of DUI resulting in death.

— The Las Vegas Review-Journal contributed to this report.