Great Southern Superintendent Jon Munday speaks out after 26-year-old man charged over teacher’s death

The Great Southern’s top cop has labelled the alleged hit-and-run death of a 49-year-old Katanning teacher a “tragic accident”. Great Southern police Supt Jon Munday spoke about the incident that left Katanning teacher Luke Russell dead on the road on May 13 and a 26-year-old man charged with causing his death. “What we would allege is that this is a tragic accident,” he said. The driver of the vehicle has been charged with failing to report a traffic accident where death or grievous bodily harm occurred, for failing to stop after an incident occasioning death, and driving while his licence was suspended. The 49-year-old’s death sparked a major homicide investigation in the small Great Southern town when his body was found on Marri Drive, a residential street on the eastern edge of town, at 5.35am. Supt Munday said resolving the incident was a priority because of the distress and safety of the community. “He was a local resident, employed within the town, so a lot of people would know him which is distressing,” he said. “It was important for us to be able to resolve this matter not only for the family of the deceased male but also for the broader community.” He emphasised there was no ongoing threat to the Katanning community and it was an isolated incident. “The matter has turned out to be very isolated, it’s been resolved, and we believe at this point in time that it’s a tragic accident,” Supt Munday said. “There’s no cause for concern for the Katanning community.” Supt Munday thanked the community for being forthcoming and patient during the course of the police investigation. “There was a number of times where roads were blocked, people had restricted access to streets and houses, so we just want to thank them for their patience and their co-operation,” he said. “We want to thank the Katanning community for the information they provided — a fair bit of information came in from the community, which was very much appreciated.”