Bristol TN Radio: R.I.P.: WZAP's David Ray Killed During Walk

David Ausmus walked every day — rain, sleet or snow. He frequently walked along Island Road and was known in that area as the man with the walking stick, according to tricities.com.

“He was out there every day; he never missed,” said Glen Harlow, general manager of WZAP 690 AM in Bristol, VA, where Ausmus worked under the radio name Dave Ray. “David was in great shape. It’s a shame the thing he was doing” led to his death.

Ausmus, 66, was killed while on one of his early-morning walks, struck from behind by a pickup truck around 7 a.m. Sunday, police said.

Police said Ausmus appeared to have been walking west on the curvy, two-lane road, on the left side facing traffic. A 1997 Ford pickup truck, driven by 74-year-old Jeremiah Graham Allison, was also moving west at the time of the incident. Police said preliminary investigation suggests the truck crossed the center line as the driver negotiated a hill and around a curve.

Ausmus worked at WZAP for 13 years, Harlow said. The station carries Christian programming.
“Dave was just a super nice guy,” he said. “He loved his work. I had to make him go home sometimes. He loved being around radio.”