Family and friends of 15-year-old Raiden Kelly are still trying to process his death. He was hit and killed while walking along the road heading to his bus stop on Thursday morning.
Gabe Yost is a family friend. He remembers the heartbreaking call he got when he learned Raiden had passed.
“Everything stopped for a second like the world froze and then the adrenaline kicked in, I have to get to the family,” said Yost.
Yost was also Raiden’s youth director at Redeemer Church. They spent quality time together and he loved the person Raiden was growing into.
“He was caring, super fun-loving, loved to play video games and sports,” said Yost.
Yost said he also had a great sense of humor.
“He made sure to remember that I usually lost those games,” he said.
Yost said those great memories make losing Raiden especially hard. He was with Raiden’s mom and stepfather Thursday when they came home.
“I don’t think there was a dry eye in the room. We were just trying to hug and cry and let them know, ‘I’m so sorry, we're here for you as much as we can be,’”said Yost.
Raiden’s father spoke with Action News Jax over the phone Friday. He said Raiden has a large family in New York and they miss him terribly.