BOISE, Idaho — As the sky turned from light blue, to pink, and finally night on Halloween, a group of several dozen teenagers looked up and shouted “I love you Kyler” in downtown Boise.
They gathered at the corner of 15th and Main Street, near Rhodes Skatepark, to mourn 16-year-old Kyler Davis, who died last Sunday after he was hit by a car while riding an e-scooter on the way to a concert.
The Idaho Press reports the group took over the street corner, passing small candles around and lighting the small flames. In soft tones, they hailed each other across the street, embraced and signed posters decorated with photos of Davis. Once everyone was gathered, they passed red and black balloons to the crowd and released them into the sky, declaring their love for Davis.
“I miss you,” someone said quietly in the moment of silence as the crowd watched the balloons disappear.
This is the first fatality on an e-scooter since the vehicles came to Boise about a year ago. According to the Ada County Coroner’s office, Davis was the second rider on a scooter attempting to cross the street when it was hit by a truck at 8:15 p.m. on Sunday. The other person riding the scooter, also 16 years old, was hospitalized for non-life threatening injuries.
After the balloons were released, the group formed a large circle and traded stories about Davis. Despite the sadness, many remarks were greeted with laughter as his friends remembered his personality. One attendee told stories of working in a restaurant with Davis, where he would dance and laugh in the kitchen while working alongside his brother and sister.
Sydney Chauncey, a close friend of the family, described Davis as “my little brother.”
“He was my best friend and we just wanted to protect him,” she said, holding a candle in her hand. “We wanted him to be the man we always knew he would be. His legacy is going to live on in my heart and the family’s heart forever.”
Once the stories petered out, Davis’s mother Sarah Bennett, thanked the crowd of teenagers for supporting her family.
“It’s been nice for me to see all of the people who loved Kyler,” she said. “Having you guys around right now is helping me a lot. Keep coming around, please.”
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