LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – A family is still in shock after Las Vegas Metro Police said their loved one was killed by a hit and run driver.
The crash happened after 2 a.m. Monday morning near North Martin Luther King Blvd. and West Owens Avenue.
Family identified the victim as 35-year-old Cedric Loftis. He has three children and died just two weeks before his 36th birthday. They described him as hilarious and full of love and hugs.
According to police a 2020 Kia Optima driving south approached the intersection when the pedestrian crossed alongside the marked area with the walking signal on.
“He talked to my husband about 20 minutes before the incident,” his sister Crystal Willis said. “He called him just to tell him he loved him.”
His nieces and nephews called him the “fun uncle.”
“Life isn’t going to be the same without him,” his sister Dyrene Loftis added.
The family says the crosswalk is not far from his home.
LVMPD report the driver of the Kia ran the red light and struck Loftis. They then fled the scene before police arrived.
The driver was later identified as 31-year-old Seth Lynman.
“Just left him there like he was nothing,” Willis said. “Like his life didn’t mean anything.”
“You don’t even do an animal like that,” Dyrene Loftis followed.
His mother, Ava Loftis, called his phone over and over again when she didn’t hear from her son for a few hours.
“The coroners called me back to tell me I lost my child,” Ava Loftis recalled.
Police arrested Lynman Monday afternoon. Metro said he faces charges related to the crash. The crash is still under investigation.
“All of my kids and my grandkids are my world and he took my world,” Ava Loftis said of the accused driver. “Nobody can sleep or eat. All of my grandkids are suffering. They’re not sleeping. they’re not eating. It’s not fair.”
Now the family hopes drivers will slow down.
“Slow down. Where are you going? If you’re drinking and driving in this day in age, there’s Uber. There’s Lyft. There are so many different options,” Willis pleaded.
The family held a vigil at the crash site Tuesday evening to honor Cedric’s lift and memory.
According to Metro, his death marks the 43rd traffic-related fatality this year.
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