WATERLOO - High-top running shoes and a baseball cap were scattered at the scene of a fatal hit-and-run in a residential area of Waterloo early Sunday morning.

Police said citizens came upon a man with severe head injuries shortly after 4:30 a.m. at the intersection of Austin Drive and Hazel Street, an area with a large student population.

Emergency services responded, but the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

"Witnesses indicated that a vehicle was involved and left the scene," said Supt. Adrian Darmon of Waterloo Regional Police.

As a result, police are searching for an older SUV-type vehicle that was last seen on Hazel going towards Columbia Street.

Investigators also planned to knock on doors in the area for information from other potential witnesses.

Darmon couldn't say how old the victim was or where he lived, although he is believed to have been from this area.

"We're still trying to confirm identity and notify next of kin," he said late Sunday morning.

Forensic officers at the intersection carefully took measurements and photographed items including the shoes, hat, what appeared to be a book bag or cloth shopping bag, broken glass and other debris.

Richard Brooks, 18, was returning from a coffee shop to a nearby Hazel Street house where he attended a party for his junior hockey team Saturday night when he saw the area cordoned off with yellow police tape.

"I came back to this," he said as he anxiously waited for word on the victim's identity. "They were just cleaning the body up when I got here."

The unidentified victim was taken to a Hamilton hospital for an autopsy.

Anyone with information is asked to call the traffic branch at 519-653-7700, ext. 8793, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.