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Police are investigating after a man was killed Thursday afternoon when he was hit by a van while lying down on Washington Avenue, Waco police Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton said.

Police were called to the 2100 block of Washington Avenue after witnesses reported seeing a man running north through yards and onto Washington Avenue before falling in the street at about 5:45 p.m., Swanton said. After one vehicle swerved to avoid him, the man ran onto the sidewalk but returned to the roadway to lie down again, where he was fatally struck by a van, according to witnesses.

Swanton said officers are investigating whether the man may have been suffering from mental health issues or whether he may have been under the influence of drugs at the time of his death.

“Witnesses reported that our victim ran out into the road, fell down initially, got back up, went to the sidewalk, then came back out into the road, in front of traffic, threw himself back down onto the street and started banging his head onto the street,” Swanton said. “A lady who was traveling west in a minivan was unable to avoid him.”

Officers blocked the roadway as they evaluated the scene. Reports of a possible burglary nearby may be connected to the death, Swanton said.