HPD Assistant Chief John Chen talks to Asian community representatives about various issues affecting the community on Feb 20 at HPD Midwest Command Station.

The recent deaths of three pedestrians near a reconstruction zone in the Bellaire section of Houston's Chinatown — two of them by hit-and-run drivers — were the main topic of discussion at a meeting of members of the Asian Community and the Houston police.

The meeting on Feb 20 to discuss the accidents and issues affecting the Asian community was called by Assistant Police Chief John Chen. Members of the Houston Asian Community Crime Advisory Board (HACCAB) and area residents participated.

The three pedestrian fatalities have occurred since January in the Bellaire Boulevard area, site of the reconstruction project.

The first was on Jan 15 and resulted in the death of a 79 year-old man. The motorist stopped to help the person and was found not to be at-fault for the accident, police said. The second incident on Feb 9 was the hit-and-run killing of a 28-year-old man. On Feb15, another hit-and-run driver killed a 40-year-old man. He was crossing Bellaire Boulevard but was not in a crosswalk.

According to Houston police data, of 44 traffic fatalities in the city last year, 15 were pedestrians killed in the Bellaire area compared with 7 killed in that area last year among the 30 fatalities reported.