Family, friends mourn Hagerty High School student killed in hit-and-run

Deputies have person of interest

OVIEDO, Fla. – A couple hundred classmates and friends of a 16-year-old Oviedo teen killed over the weekend held a candlelight vigil on Monday night.

Friends and family gathered wearing red at Round Lake Park to honor the life of Christopher Johnson.

"I was just with him, and the last thing he told me was, 'Love you, bro.' That's the last thing he told me," Johnson's brother Demarco Jarrett, said.

John's twin sister was also surprised by the large turnout of classmates and friends from Hagerty High School.

"I didn't know he knew this many people, and I really love you all for doing this, so thank you," she said.

The Seminole County Sheriff's Office said Johnson was hit by a truck Saturday evening just two blocks from his home. Johnson was walking back to his house with his sister when he was struck.

Investigators said Johnson was pinned underneath the vehicle and the driver fled the scene on a skateboard.

Detectives said they are investigating suspicious circumstances involved in his death. On Monday, the Sheriff's Office named a person of interest, but came short of calling the person a suspect.

During Monday night's vigil, family members demanded answers and want the person who hit Johnson to be held responsible.

"I just want to know why. Why? It's not fair," Jarrett said. "It was a part of me. That piece is gone. It won't be replaced at all."


"I don't care what the situation is. I don't care what happened. You need to make peace with yourself and come in and turn yourself in," Johnson's grandmother, Janice Jarrett, said.

Oviedo police were also on hand at the vigil because of the large crowd.


About the Authors:

Troy graduated from California State University Northridge with a Bachelor's Degree in Communication. He has reported on Mexican drug cartel violence on the El Paso/ Juarez border, nuclear testing facilities at the Idaho National Laboratory and severe Winter weather in Michigan.

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