A father-of-two who died after a car was driven into a crowd of people during a disturbance in Sheffield was a “Good Samaritan” who was trying to help a stranger, police said.
South Yorkshire police named the 46-year-old man who died in the incident in College Close, in the Burngreave area, as Christian Marriott.
The force said Marriott, who was known as Chris, was out for a post-Christmas walk with his wife and two young sons, aged eight and six, when he went to the aid of a woman he spotted lying unconscious in the street just after 2pm on Wednesday.
Officers believe he left his family and stopped to provide first aid to the woman, before a car then collided with them both and a number of others.
It is believed the woman had been involved in an altercation and several other people suffered injuries during the incident, including an off-duty midwife who had also stopped to help.
Police earlier confirmed the incident was not terrorism-related.
South Yorkshire police launched a murder inquiry after arresting two men when a car collided with a group outside a property in Burngreave on Wednesday afternoon.
A 23-year-old man, who was arrested on suspicion of murder, and a 55-year-old man, arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, remain in custody.
DCI Andrew Knowles said: “This is an utterly heartbreaking case in which a Good Samaritan, who had stepped in to help a stranger in their time of need, has lost his life.
“Chris leaves behind a loving family including his devastated wife and two young sons. We are absolutely determined to secure justice for Chris and his loved ones following this horrific tragedy.”
Police were called to the scene at 2.06pm after reports of violence and disorder during what was reported to be a family party. As the call was under way, a car collided with a group of people, the police said.
A neighbour, Tarek Nayli, 49, told the PA Media news agency he came out of his home to see fighting in the street, a number of injured people and neighbours telling him there were others trapped under a car.
He said: “I heard a lot of sound, a lot of voices, a lot of shouting. When I came out, I found people all gathering around and people fighting. One guy had a lot of blood on his face.”
Nayli said the car involved was already there by the time he became aware of the incident and the police arrived two minutes after he did.
“I saw people fighting on that corner before the police came and the car was already there. The whole neighbourhood was out.”
He said: “They said there were people underneath the car and when the police came they managed to get them out. When the police came, they flipped the car over and they’ve taken two people out.”
Nayli said one injured man was already sitting beside the car and a woman was also clearly hurt.
Asked about the fighting, he said: “I didn’t see any weapons but there was a lot of hitting and one guy had a stick.”
Other neighbours said they believed the fighting had begun over a dispute between families, but the man who died had come to help and was not involved in the disorder.
Police said one man was pronounced dead at the scene while another person was taken to hospital, where they remained in a serious condition.
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