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Neighborhood tribute held for Utah teen killed in hit-and-run

A photo of 13-year-old Eli Mitchell
Photo courtesy of the Mitchell family
A photo of 13-year-old Eli Mitchell

A Utah neighborhood in West Jordan put together a tribute honoring 13-year-old Eli Mitchell who was killed in a hit-and-run last week.

It’s been nearly a week since Eli was struck by a pickup truck when biking home after picking up treats from a local store. The boy was transported to Intermountain Medical Center where he died later that night.

According to police, 50-year-old Andrew Ohms was the driver of the pickup truck who drove away from the scene.

Eli’s funeral service took place on Monday and his viewing on Sunday with neighbors wanting to do something to comfort his family between services. On Sunday and Monday night, several families from Eli’s neighborhood lined the sidewalks with about 2,000 luminary bags illuminating the streets. Some of the bags had included notes and pictures for Eli that were drawn by neighborhood kids.

According to Melissa Carlson, it was a community effort to put this tribute together. She says that even people who were part of the community who have since moved away came back to participate.

Around 900 people watched the live broadcast for Eli’s funeral according to the boy’s grandfather, with some of the first responders who tried to help Eli also attending the service.

Jared Gereau is pursuing a Journalism major with an emphasis in Social Media at Utah State University. He is planning on using his experience to pursue a career with USU Athletics sometime after he graduates. In his free time, Jared enjoys watching movies, playing games and creating content for his YouTube channel.