Wesley Burton, a regular host and DJ on Berkeley-based KPFA, was killed early Saturday morning in a violent hit-and-run collision in North Oakland. He was on his way home from a shift, hosting the station’s Sideshow program Friday night, when his car was hit on Martin Luther King Jr. Way by a Dodge Charger traveling west at high speed on 60th Street. After colliding with Burton's vehicle and causing it to flip upside down, the Dodge drove off. Oakland police are still seeking the driver, as ABC 7 reports.
Burton died at the scene. This happened at 2:20 a.m. Saturday morning, on the 5900 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Way. Burton was 36 years old, and he was married with three small children.
Burton was the co-host and board operator for the shows After Hours and Sideshow Radio.
In an on-air tribute, as the Chron reports, KPFA's technical director Frank Sterling said, "It’s a great loss for KPFA. ... Everybody’s going to miss him. We all loved him and he was a great guy to be around."
Another on-air tribute is airing on the Hard Knock Radio program today at 4 p.m. with Sandra Lemus and Davey D, according to Facebook. Listen to the live stream here.
A GoFundMe campaign to help his wife and family has already raised $18,000 of its $22,000 goal.