A cyclist who was one of two people killed in a series of hit-and-runs in Coventry has been named as Joel Carreido, a healthcare assistant who was 47.
His family said he was “a loving husband and father of two” and would be “missed dearly by all that knew him”.
A 33-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and sectioned under the Mental Health Act after a pedestrian and then Carreido were fatally hit by a car in separate collisions.
West Midlands police confirmed that the incident was not being treated as terror-related and they were not seeking anyone else in relation to the case.
Two pedestrians were hit on Gosford Street in the city centre at about 8am on Sunday, one of whom, aged 44, died from his injuries. Police said they were in the process of contacting his next of kin.
Carreido was killed when he was hit by the same vehicle on Woodway Lane, about four miles away on the north-east outskirts of the city.
The driver of the car then crashed into a house on Beckbury Road, where he fled the vehicle, and police called in a drone team and dog unit to help locate him. The suspect was arrested at about 9am.
Flowers and candles have been left at the scene where Carreido was killed. He had been returning home from a night shift at the University hospital less than a mile away, where he was a healthcare assistant on the gastroenterology ward.
He had two children, who left messages addressed to their father. One read: “I wish I could turn back time to at least tell you I love you one last time. I will try to be a better daughter and sister, so please don’t worry about us.”
The other read: “You were a good dad. Thank you for taking care of us.”
Friends and colleagues leaving flowers at the roadside described Carreido as a “very happy man” who was “always helping people”. “It’s so horrible for the family,” one said.
Prof Andy Hardy, the chief executive of University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS trust, said staff were shocked and saddened by Carreido’s death.
“Joel’s passion for caring for others shone through in everything he did and he left a lasting impression on the patients and families he came into contact with,” he said.
“While his work was a huge source of pride, it was evident to everyone who knew Joel that the role he enjoyed the most was being a loving husband and a father to his two cherished children. Joel will be sorely missed by us all and our thoughts are with his friends and family at this difficult time.”
Barry Dean, 76, who owns the house on Beckbury Road that the driver crashed into shortly after hitting Carreido, said he was watching football in his living room on Sunday morning when he heard a loud bang outside, and by the time he unlocked his front door, the driver had fled.
The crash removed a large chunk of the front wall of his house and he and his wife will have to live elsewhere while the damage is fixed.
“It was all a bit of a shock – not what you expect on a Sunday morning,” he said. “And now we’ve got to move out, we’ve got no gas or electric. But this is only bricks and mortar. It can be repaired. It’s awful. I feel for them and their families.”
Gosford Street, where the two pedestrians were hit, is a 15-minute drive away through largely residential streets. By Monday the road, which runs through the Coventry University campus, had reopened and normal business resumed.
One worker at a cafe on the street, which was closed on Sunday after police cordoned off the area, said the news of the deaths had “made her shudder” and made the city feel unsafe. She said: “We had no idea people had died until we saw it in the news.”
She said she had seen sand piled in the street that she believed was to cover blood after the collision.
The other pedestrian struck on Gosford Street was treated for injuries that were not life-threatening, West Midlands police said.
The force said: “Our thoughts are with the families and friends of those who have tragically lost their lives, and we’ll be doing all we can to support them during this deeply distressing time. We’re not looking for anyone else in connection with what happened, and from the information we have, this is not being treated as terror-related.”
