A 62-year-old Evanston man who was killed Saturday evening might have been hit by a vehicle, police said.

John Carter, of the 1400 block of Fowler Avenue, sustained a small contusion on the back of his head and three fractures to his right leg, injuries which led police to believe he was struck by a heavy object or a vehicle, said Cmdr. Dennis Nilsson of the Evanston Police Department.

“These aren’t injuries consistent with a fall,” Nilsson said.

Shortly after the accident occurred, a passer-by found Carter lying in the alley behind his residence, Nilsson said.

But it was Carter’s daughter who told a relative to call an ambulance at about 6:45 p.m., Nilsson said.

EPD and Evanston Fire & Life Safety Services arrived at the scene about three minutes later and took Carter to Evanston Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:20 p.m., Nilsson said.

Long-time friend Delores Thompson described Carter as “kind, gentle, soft-spoken and a man of honor.”

She said Carter helped her get through tough times, especially when her mother died. She said she cried when she heard the news of his death.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Thompson said. “I sat for an hour. He wasn’t sick. He just had a complete physical and he was fine.”

Thompson said Carter retired from BFI Waste Systems in October and then moved from Touhy Avenue to his Fowler Avenue address.

Carter was planning to go on a vacation with his family in two weeks.

“They were getting ready to just sit back and enjoy life,” Thompson said.

Ald. Dennis Drummer (2nd), who represents the ward where Carter lived, said his death was a “tragic event.”

“It’s a sad thing for the family to have to go through,” Drummer said. “I hope some lesson will go out to someone.”

Nilsson said police still are investigating the incident. No arrests have been made or charges filed, he said.

A spokesperson from the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office declined to release the cause of Carter’s death because the police investigation is currently pending.