A Mount Joy Township man charged with striking and killing a pedestrian along an East Lampeter Township road in 2024 will have his case proceed to county court after waiving his preliminary hearing earlier this week.

Brandon E. Shearer, of the 1200 block of Wissler Lane, waived his preliminary hearing before Judge Denise Commins on June 13 on charges of accidents involving death or personal injury, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence and two summary traffic offenses.

Shearer, 33, is accused of striking and killing 72-year-old John Zimmerman in the 2200 block of Lincoln Highway East in the early morning hours of August 29, 2024.

Police found Zimmerman mere minutes after the crash already clearly deceased and having suffered multiple serious and obvious injuries. Multiple vehicle parts, including the sideview mirror from the car Shearer was driving, were also scattered nearby.

Eyewitnesses to the crash told police Shearer never stopped after striking Zimmerman.

Video footage from multiple businesses in the area showed a vehicle striking Zimmerman, who could clearly be seen in his vehicle’s headlights. The video also showed that the vehicle sustained clear damage, including shearing off the sideview mirror, as a result of the crash.

Patrolling officers spotted the same vehicle the following morning being driven by Shearer, pulled him over and impounded the vehicle.

Blood that was later matched to Zimmerman’s DNA was found on the vehicle after investigators removed a mirror Shearer had taped over the broken portion of the sideview mirror during a subsequent inspection.

Though Shearer initially claimed the vehicle’s damage was due to striking a deer, officers could clearly see fabric from some of Zimmerman’s clothing still imprinted in its fender. In a later interview, Shearer admitted to striking a dark figure in the roadway and continuing to drive without stopping.

GPS data provided by the vehicle’s owner also showed Shearer greatly increased his speed after striking Zimmerman.

Shearer is currently free on $15,000 unsecured bail.

East Lampeter Township Police Officer Joshua Reimers filed the charges.

Assistant District Attorney Kyle Linardo will prosecute the case.

All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.