JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A local mother is sharing a warning for trick-or-treaters after her son was killed in a hit-and-run on Halloween five years ago.
“It’s five years today, and nobody’s done nothing," Shannon Johnson, the mother of the victim, Shane Reed, said. “Shane was an amazing person, he made everybody and anybody laugh."
Since that day, Halloween has a different meaning for Johnson. She keeps his ashes in an urn around her neck.
Reed was 27 when he was hit from behind while riding his bike near Cole and Spaulding Roads on Jacksonville's Northside, according to the police report.
Police still have not found the vehicle or driver, who they say was speeding
“It really makes it hard that it was Halloween, especially with all the kids out walking," Johnson said.
Pedestrian fatalities are 43 percent higher on Halloween, according to a 2019 study that looked at data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
With so many people out on the streets, Johnson says she will keep sharing her story as a tale of caution.
“Our kids are our future, and you’re out there not paying attention to the road and not paying attention to what your doing, your taking another life," Johnson said.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released Safety Tips for Drivers on Halloween; drive slow, continuously scan the road for people, and stay alert for pedestrians who may come out from between parked cars.