2 men sought in hit-run death of Iraq vet

A northeast Phoenix family is seeking closure to the unsolved death of a U.S. Army veteran killed a month ago during a traffic collision on Greenway Road.

Vehicular crimes detectives recovered the pickup truck believed to have struck Brandon Kusmit's motorcycle but have yet to locate two men the Kusmit family believes is responsible for the 25-year-old's death.

Kusmit died in a Nov. 2 collision with a pickup truck near Greenway Road and 37th Street. Witnesses found him on the ground, his motorcycle lying near piles of debris and shattered glass.

Two men, the driver and passenger of the black Ford pickup, are considered persons of interest, according to police.

Phoenix Detective Ron Pitts said the driver is known as "Pancho" and the passenger, "Antonio," would have cuts on his face from shattered glass during the accident. Pitts added that the investigation is ongoing.

First-responders recovered Kusmit's body after the collision with the veteran's Yamaha R6 sports bike, but his wallet and cellphone were missing.

The Kusmits believe someone may have lifted them from his body after the accident.

Chris Kusmit, the victim's father, said the family was only able to recover Brandon's Army dog tags, which he wore during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Brandon Kusmit grew up in northeast Phoenix and graduated from Shadow Mountain High School with his twin brother, Jason.

Brandon Kusmit