'How do you live with yourself': Families of Texas teens killed in hit-and-run ask driver to come forward
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS: Just days before Christmas, two San Antonio teenagers died from traumatic injuries after being struck by a vehicle while crossing an east-side roadway.
James Solis, 17, and Jordan Canedo, 15, were walking across Rigsby Avenue in a designated crosswalk when they were struck by an eastbound vehicle at around 11:50 pm on Friday, December 16. The unidentified driver fled from the scene and left the two teenagers bleeding on the road. The investigators noted that due to a lack of witnesses, no description of the vehicle has been provided.
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The deaths of the two teens have left their families devastated. “The driver hit them so hard, their shoes were scattered everywhere,” Rosa Garcia, Canedo’s legal guardian told Kens5. The families also revealed that the two friends were heading home from the mall after finishing their Christmas shopping when the incident occurred.
On Sunday, December 18, family and friends gathered near the busy intersection to mourn the death of two young lives. The roadside vigil brought dozens of people together in grief. “They ran over our children,” sobbed Janie Lara, Canedo’s mother. “They were just teenage boys; they didn’t get to live their lives.” She described Canedo as a quiet and compassionate teen, who aspired to be a basketball player. “He died by crossing the street,” said Johnny Perez, Canedo’s brother. “I ride that bus every day to get to school, and I am going to cross that [street] every day and think of that.”
Armanda Diaz, Solis’ mother, said her son was a “bright kid full of life.” “He aspired to join the military and be a teen counselor for mental health,” said Diaz. “He had the compassion to help others always. Everyone who knew and loved him will miss him and his contagious smile.” The devastated mother also lashed out at the driver who left the teens to die on road. “My son laid there, and he bleeds out of every part of his body,” cried Diaz. “From his eyes, nose, and ears. [To the driver] How do you live with yourself? Come forward! Take accountability for what you did. You took my life from me; you took the whole reason I am on this earth. I am a strong woman, but burying my child … I was never supposed to. My son was supposed to bury me. My son was supposed to graduate, get married, have kids. Jordan and James didn’t deserve that. Somebody knows something, come forward.”
Solis’ family has also set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to help pay funeral expenses. “Words cannot express the gratitude we feel for each of you, and your support during this very difficult time. It means a lot to us and will not ever be forgotten,” the fundraising page reads.