On Friday, June 20, 2014, as Mr. Beard was riding his bicycle north into the intersection of North Sarah Street and Cook Avenue, he was struck and killed by a driver in a Pontiac speeding west on Cook Avenue at 65-75 mph in what is marked as a 25 mph residential zone. There is a four-way stop sign at that intersection as well. The driver of the vehicle that hit Mr. Beard fled the scene.