A cyclist was struck and killed by an automobile in the evening hours Sunday on Highway 25 near Pinelake Church.
The Starkville Police Department responded to a call at approximately 7 p.m. to a reported on an accident involving a cyclist. Once officers were on the scene, they found 54-year-old John “Jay” Burrell, of Starkville, unresponsive.
OCH Regional Medical Center EMT’s and Coroner Mike Hunt pronounced Burrell dead at the scene.
An autopsy will be performed at the Mississippi Crime Lab in Jackson and the incident is still under investigation.
SPD said in a statement Monday: "The Starkville Police Department wants to remind everyone, anything that takes your mind, your eyes, or your hands off of your primary task - driving - is a distraction. We talk about cell phones a lot, and rightfully so. But there are other things that people do behind the wheel that are also distractions: eating or drinking, talking to other passengers, applying makeup, combing hair, using a navigation system, reading - including newspapers, books, or even maps, adjusting the radio or MP3 player."