DENVER — Police are investigating after an SUV was involved in an early Saturday morning hit-and-run that killed a 28-year-old man and injured his best friend, who remained hospitalized Monday.
"I remember ... just the lights getting closer and then I'm in the hospital. And, now, I no longer have my best friend to share this with ... this life," Mitchell Garcia said from his hospital bed, two days after a simple walk across the street changed his life forever. "I still think part of my mind hasn't completely acknowledged some of the facts of this."
Garcia says he was in a crosswalk near the intersection of 15th and Stout streets shortly before 4:30 a.m. Saturday when, suddenly, he and his best friend, Aaron Curtis, noticed a driver heading toward them.
"We see some headlights and I hear an acceleration of a large vehicle, and I see this SUV and the headlights coming towards me," he said.
He doesn't remember what happened next, only that he woke up in a hospital and that his childhood best friend didn't survive.
"We've known each other over 23 years since elementary school days. We used to play football together. We had the same girlfriends growing up," Garcia said. "He was a great person. He was very considerate. He was charismatic. All the women, and even the men, loved Aaron. He was just such a kind person."
Hours after the hit-and-run, Denver police released photos of the SUV involved. The driver also crashed into property just a few blocks down near Arapahoe Street. On Monday, police confirmed they had located the SUV but no arrests have been made.
UPDATE: One of the pedestrians have been pronounced deceased. If you have any information that can help us locate this vehicle or the driver of that vehicle, please contact @CrimeStoppersCO at 720-913-STOP(7867) pic.twitter.com/ihUQPBSI4p
— Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) November 12, 2022
"Usually, most motorists are not careless or kind-less or heartless in that sense, so it was very much shocking to experience that as a pedestrian," Garcia said.
He's now focused on recovering from his injuries — which include a broken leg, a head injury, road rash and scrapes — and seeking justice for himself and Curtis.
"I would like the individual to come forward or if anyone has any further information about this incident, if they could, you know, help my friend get justice for this vehicular homicide, I think that would bring a lot of closure to so many folks, myself included," he said.
The case is one of more than 20 deadly crashes involving pedestrians so far this year. City of Denver records show the rate has remained steady with 23 deaths last year, 19 in 2020 and 23 in 2019.
If you have any information about this case, you can call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.