ARLINGTON, Texas — The Arlington Police Department is thankful for the public's well-wishes as they grieve the death of Officer Darrin McMichael, including flowers left at the memorial for McMichael.
Now, the entire police department is turning to the public for help, including one of his closest riding partners who sends a message to the driver who struck McMichael and took off.
Officer William Bill, who is a part of the APD Motorcycle Division, described their riding group as a family.
"The loss of Darren McMichael is hard to bear," said Bill.
He spoke at a Tuesday afternoon news conference about the investigation underway. He and APD are hurting after the fatal crash of Officer Darrin McMichael.
"We have cried together. We have shared stories, pictures, funny things that Darren used to say, like why he used to question why all the time," Bill said.
On Sept. 21, McMichael rode his police motorcycle to work with his wife behind him in a car, also headed to work at the police department. At about 6 a.m. on I-20, traffic stopped. He struck the rear of a vehicle, fell off his bike, and that's when another driver ran over McMichael and never stopped.
Detective Miguel Hernandez is part of the team at the Dallas County Sheriff's Office investigating the crash.
"The best description we have, the suspect vehicle at this time is a dark-colored sedan," said Hernandez, "Solving this case is a top priority."
Dallas County investigators sent out a plea for witnesses, dashcam owners and even truckers on I-20 that morning to come forward with clues. Their longtime business support Oak Farms Dairy is even offering a $15,000 reward. That's on top of a $5,000 Crime Stoppers reward in place.
"There's comfort and closure. That's what we need. We need to come full circle," Bill said. "And if this person is listening, please do the right thing. Turn yourself in. And if you don't, we will find you."
People with information on the McMichael fatal crash can reach out to the Dallas County Sheriff's Department at 214-749-5181 or you can remain anonymous by calling the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-877-373-8477.