Fundraiser created for 18-year-old killed in hit-and-run crash
Police continue to search for the suspect
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Police identified the 18-year-old that died in a hit-and-run fatality early Wednesday morning.
Friends and family of 18-year-old Alan Cunningham take to social media how deeply he will be missed. The family has a GoFundMe for the victim.
A harmless ride quickly turned into a parent's worst nightmare as three friends went out together, but didn’t come home together.
The Yuma Police Department (YPD) said Cunningham and one 16-year-old were struck by a suspect driving a silver 2011 to 2013 Chrysler 200 with heavy damage on the driver's side and a broken headlight that fled the scene.
The 16-year-old remains at the hospital with serious injuries. A third teenager who was at the scene is uninjured.
RELATED STORY: Police identify 18-year-old struck by a vehicle in Yuma
A father pleading for justice for his son, saying this is something he never expected.
"I’m gonna miss him a lot and I just wish I coulda been there, you know, to save him or-- he’s just the best. He was my best friend," says Cunningham's Father Brent Perez.
The eldest of six siblings-- one he never got to meet.
"Alan used to spend the summers with us and we were really looking forward to spending that time with him again. And because of the pandemic, we haven’t been able to travel. He didn’t even get a chance to meet his baby sister," says Cunningham's stepmother Soledad Marin.
Now, all that’s left are memories of a happy kid.
"If the person who did this could even realize how many lives they affected. Everyone loved Alan. He had— he was the first grandson on his dad’s side. Alan, when he would walk into a room, he would just like, have this amazing smile," says Marin.
Cunningham was about to celebrate his high school graduation. Instead, the family is faced with planning a funeral.
Now a father says goodbye to his firstborn child.
"Just, please. If anybody that knows anything, just come forward, please," says the grieving father.
The family plans to hold a vigil for Cunningham in the near future.
YPD encourages anyone with information about this case to dial (928) 783-4421 or 78-Crime at (928) 782-7463 to remain anonymous. If you have any information leading to an arrest, you may receive up to a $1,000 cash reward.
