JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Shannon Johnson wanted to remind the community to stay alert for pedestrians while driving on Halloween. Her son Shane Reed, 27, was killed in a hit-and-run incident on Halloween 2017.
He was riding his bike when he got hit from behind. The person who hit him didn't stop. Six years later, no one has been arrested for Reed's death.
"It's hard," Johnson said. "I miss him on a daily basis. Just feels like there are cinderblocks on my chest and I can't breathe sometimes."
She said holidays, especially Halloween, aren't the same without her son.
The Jacksonville mother said her son was hit at the intersection of Spaulding and Cole Road in a neighborhood on Jacksonville's Northside that doesn't have sidewalks.
For Halloween. Johnson wants drivers to put their phones up and slow down. She doesn't want another parent to experience the heartache of losing a child.
"I don't want any parent to go through what I go through on a daily basis," Johnson wiped a tear from her face. "I wish I could give my kids one more hug. One more kiss, but I can't."
As of October 21, 2013, data from the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles shows there had been 355 pedestrian crashes in Duval County. 32 of the crashes were fatal.
Jacksonville was labeled the sixth most dangerous city for pedestrians, according to Smart Growth America.