Man found dead in parking lot in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood

A man was found dead in a parking lot in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh Public Safety said. Investigators said it appears he was run over by a vehicle. 

Marissa Carter and the rest of her family are heartbroken by the sudden death of her brother, Sadao Oka, a dad of two and grandfather of four. Carter says he recently had a granddaughter. He was excited to meet her, but now that won't happen. 

"Now his life is just gone and all I have are memories," Carter said. "I didn't get a chance to see him or hug him."

Police have yet to file any charges, and Oka's family is seeking answers. 

"The family is devastated," Carter said. "He was a lovely person. Everybody loved him. He was really funny, caring, loving."

It was early Sunday, around 4:30 a.m., when Pittsburgh police said they found the 56-year-old unresponsive on the ground in the parking lot at Lifetime Automotive Center on Forward by Murray. Medics pronounced him dead at the scene.

"My mother is not going to want to live," Carter said. "Our mother's dealing with malignant breast cancer. She's 88. She got to see him on Mother's Day." 

Police said his injuries were consistent with being run over by a vehicle, and they told KDKA the driver of that vehicle, a woman, made the initial report to officers, was taken into custody, and has since been released pending further investigation.

Carter said that woman was Oka's girlfriend. He only recently came back to the area and was working as a trucker, but Carter said her brother's relationship had become volatile. She said that while his girlfriend called 911, she left and went Downtown to file a protection from abuse order. 

While the circumstances behind the incident are unknown, for Carter, one thing is clear: she wants justice.

Police have yet to file any charges and would not share any other details about the driver.