BY SUSAN BRYANT

sbryant@tnonline.com

A 53-year-old Whitehall Township man was killed when he was allegedly intentionally struck around 6:05 p.m. Aug. 9 in the 1300 block of N. 14th St., Whitehall Township.

According to Lehigh County Coroner Daniel A. Buglio, Stephen S. Fistner, a pedestrian, was pronounced dead at 7:02 p.m. Aug. 9 in the Emergency Room at Lehigh Valley Hospital, Salisbury Township.

An autopsy was completed on Aug. 12 at the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office and Forensics Center to determine the cause of his death.

The cause of Fistner’s death was blunt force injuries due to a pedestrian/motor vehicle collision, Buglio said.

Buglio said he is ruling the manner of Fistner’s death a homicide.

On Aug. 10, District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan and Whitehall Township Police Chief Michael Marks announced an arrest in this homicide.

According to a news release, Rajgion Davis, 55, of Whitehall, was charged with criminal homicide, two counts each of attempted murder and two counts each of aggravated assault; all felonies of the first degree.

Davis was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Daniel Trexler and was committed to Lehigh County Jail without bail, Holihan and Marks stated.

His preliminary hearing is scheduled for 11 a.m. Aug. 16 at Lehigh County Central Court.

This investigation included the work of many agencies including Whitehall Township Police Department; South Whitehall Township Police Department; Allentown Police Department; the Lehigh County Homicide Task Force; the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office and the Lehigh County Crash Reconstruction Team, the news release further states.

“We would also like to express our appreciation for numerous members of the community who contacted 911 immediately; who sought to aid the victims; those who followed the suspect and were able to help police identify Davis and detain him,” Holihan and Marks stated.

“Also, we thank members of the community who provided investigators with video evidence of what happened.

“It is because of all the hard work by investigators in conjunction with the invaluable help from the community that we are able to announce this arrest so quickly.”

According to Holihan and Marks, police were called at 6:07 p.m. for what was initially described as a motor vehicle accident in the area of 1339 N. 14th St, Whitehall Township, for a report of pedestrians struck.

Numerous eyewitnesses described an incident which was later determined to be an intentional act by Davis, who arrived at the scene driving a gray sedan and crashed into an unoccupied Toyota RAV-4 owned by Francesca Washington.

Davis then fled the scene.

Minutes later, while Washington was assessing the damage to the Toyota, she was joined in the parking lot by neighbors Stephen and Yessenia Fistner, who were walking their dog.

While standing together in the parking lot, Davis reappeared in the gray sedan and drove directly at all three individuals, Holihan and Marks stated.

A witness described Stephen Fistner pushing his wife out of the way of Davis’s sedan immediately before a violent impact between the sedan, Washington, Stephen Fistner and two other unoccupied vehicles.

Washington suffered grievous bodily injury and remains hospitalized.

The crash incapacitated Davis’ vehicle but he was able to walk away and leave the scene.

Numerous members of the community called 911, assisted the victims and followed Davis while recording him on their cellphones.

Officers from Whitehall, South Whitehall and Allentown responded and were directed to Davis by the witnesses.

“Davis was initially taken into custody by Allentown officers during which he indicated that his intention was to harm and kill Washington,” Holihan and Marks stated. “The investigation is continuing, but it has not disclosed a motive at this point.

“Nor has the investigation revealed any previous relationship between Davis and Washington other than the fact that they appear to have been neighbors at some point in the past.”