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12-year-old boy killed in crash near Avondale home
The family of 12-year-old Louis Ginns is speaking out after he was struck and killed by a vehicle near his Avondale home last week. FOX 10's Megan Spector reports.
AVONDALE, Ariz. - A West Valley community is mourning the loss of a young boy gone too soon.
What we know:
It’s been less than a week since 12-year-old Louis Ginns was hit and killed by a car near Lower Buckeye and El Mirage roads in Avondale on April 17.
What they're saying:
His parents are now left with an unimaginable hole in their lives.
"He’s a child. 12 years of age that lost his life… Our hearts are broken. They’re broken and other people’s hearts are breaking with us," said his mother, Eileen Ginns. "It’s just not the way it’s meant to be—for him to go before us."
He was hit right outside his neighborhood, less than 500 feet away from his home.
"Louis played basketball. He played soccer. He went to one of the charter schools just around the corner," said his father, Louis Ginns III.
Now, a family and a community are mourning a life cut short.
"We have three older children. Louis was our youngest. I mean just as his dad—my job was to protect him," his father said.
Dig deeper:
Right off Lower Buckeye Road, there is still police tape lying on the ground. Next to that tape, a memorial for Louis is growing with flowers, balloons, cards and more from those who knew him.
"That’s the person he was. He touched a lot of people. He touched more than we even knew because people were saying I know your child, I know your son, we’ve crossed paths," Eileen said.
What's next:
These grieving parents are determined to make sure their son is never forgotten.
"Louis was just the light of our lives. He was our baby. We can keep our child’s memory alive. We want to get his name out there. We want to have his face out there," Eileen said.
Map of the area where the child was hit.
The Source: This information was gathered from FOX 10's Megan Spector.