Hit-and-run outside Fiserv Forum: Chris Covington sentenced to 3 years

MILWAUKEE - Christopher Covington was sentenced on Friday, July 16 to three years in prison and one year of extended supervision for a hit-and-run incident that happened outside Fiserv Forum on Nov. 9, 2019. 

Covington was convicted of two counts of hit-and-run, injury, habitual criminality repeater. This, after he struck the Eager family from Hartford with a vehicle prosecutors said was rented by his mother. 

Background on the case

The crash happened at 6:05 p.m. near 6th Street and Juneau Avenue on Nov. 9, 2019 -- as the Eager family, Tony Eager, Danielle Eager, 8-year-old Brayson Eager, and 5-year-old Dayton Eager headed to Fiserv Forum to see Jurassic World. It was the one and only time they planned on coming to Milwaukee in 2019 from their home in Hartford. Danielle Eager pushed her children out of the way -- taking the brunt of the impact -- jumping over her children to protect them. Tony Eager chased after the fleeing vehicle and was able to get a good look at the make and model and obtain a partial license plate number.

Surveillance video showed the striking vehicle stopped at a red light at 6th and Juneau, the complaint said. According to prosecutors, the driver turned into the path of the family after entering the intersection to turn left when the light turned green. The driver stopped momentarily before taking off.

Investigators ran a check of vehicles with Texas plates that included the letters, KCV -- heading over to Hertz at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport, where they learned a Chevy Malibu had been rented and was due back on Nov. 8. It was rented by Covington's mother, according to the complaint. It was found parked near 69th Street and Fiebrantz Avenue.

Covington's mother told investigators her son had borrowed the vehicle and said if he was involved in a crash and didn't pull over, it's because he has a warrant, the complaint said.

Covington was interviewed by investigators on Nov. 11, and the complaint said he offered several different versions of events, including that a friend was driving and he was asleep in the back.

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An individual who indicated he was a front-seat passenger said they were going to pick up Covington's sister, and he saw the family in the intersection outside Fiserv -- and figured Covington did, too. He said after the crash, he yelled for Covington to stop, and Covington yelled back that he was "on the run" -- and fled, according to the complaint.

Investigators recovered Covington's phone, and data from that phone showed it was in the area of the crash at the time it happened.

Additionally, the complaint said one Instagram video from the phone, recorded at 6 p.m., five minutes before the crash, showed Covington in the driver's seat, smoking a blunt. Investigators determined they were near the area of MLK Drive and North Avenue.

A second Instagram video was recorded at 6:01 p.m., the complaint said -- again showing Covington in the driver's seat, headed southbound on MLK Drive near Juneau -- in the area where the crash happened at 6:03 p.m.