24-year-old killed while crossing Lake Shore Drive

Chicago police say they are searching for the driver of a small red car which struck and killed a 24-year-old man as he attempted to walk across Lake Shore Drive on the city's North Side.

Authorities have identified the victim of the early Friday morning hit-and-run as environmental lab chemist Joseph LaPalme, a native of West Bloomfield, Mich., who moved to Chicago in January.

Police say the car which struck LaPalme was missing a front bumper and may have windshield damage.

The accident occurred near Belmont Ave. and forced the closing of the north lanes of Lake Shore Drive for a time.