Shoe memorial grows for Holly Springs jogger
HOLLY SPRINGS, N.C. (WTVD) -- Hundreds of Triangle runners are expected to hit the streets Thursday evening in honor of a Holly Springs father who was hit by a car.
Holly Springs police said 37-year-old Derek Davis was jogging with his wife around 6:30 a.m. at the intersection of Holly Springs Road and Linksland Drive on April 20 when he was hit.
Davis died on Monday afternoon.
A memorial grew at the intersection after Davis's wife placed his running shoes and a shirt at the scene. Other folks have been stopping by and dropping their shoes at the crosswalk.
"It really hit home that it could have been any one of us and it's really, really emotional," said runner Sansy Ezzel.
Davis was father to four children and a software engineer at SAS.
ABC11 has learned that Davis recently qualified to run in the Boston Marathon. He was planning to compete in next year's race.
The Holly Springs Run Club has organized a memorial run. It'll start Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the Bombshell Beer Company. Runners will run with flowers and leave them at the memorial. Around 300 people are expected to hit the streets.
"It makes you emotional, but it also makes you proud that so many people show their support and solidarity," said Ezzel, who is a member of the Holly Springs Run Club. "I hope that we can do a little more to raise awareness because we need to be able to safely cross the street."
Davis will be laid to rest Friday.
Officials said that 18-year-old Roberto Solis-Reyes is now charged with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle.
Charges filed previously include running a red light; failure to yield to a pedestrian in the crosswalk; failure to yield, causing serious bodily injury; careless and reckless driving; and operating a motor vehicle with a permit and not being accompanied by a licensed driver.
Solis-Reyes and his 17-year-old passenger were not injured.
