LONGMONT, Colo. (KDVR) — Community members are coming together to mourn the loss of a Longmont man killed by a driver fleeing police Thursday.

Police said 93-year-old Joe Gold passed away after a suspect tried to avoid a traffic stop, and crashed into two cars in the intersection of East 9th Avenue and Pace Street at 10:48 a.m. Thursday.

The intersection was less than two miles from Gold’s home. Neighbors said he was driving to play pickleball, a sport he played multiple times a week when it happened.

“It’s disbelief and it’s shock and it’s sadness,” neighbor Norman Meyer said. “You come around the corner and he’s not there and then you see members of his family showing up and it just makes it worse because it’s not fair, not fair.”

Community members on Signature Circle have their flags lowered to half-staff as a sign of respect to Gold. 

“His nickname was ‘the mayor’ because he was kind of like the anchor of this small city here,” Meyer said. 

Gold was known for bringing people together, and making people smile with his pristine yard work and good character. 

“I would always tell him you’re shaving your bushes like your haircut because he had this short crew cut haircut,” neighbor Patsi Meyer said. “It’s just awful that this happened, awful, awful awful.”

At 93 years old, Gold was extremely active. He’d play pickleball and golf multiple times a week.

“I say he wasn’t 93 years old, inside he was a teenager and mentally and physically he was a very young man,” Meyer said.

Loved ones say Gold had four kids, six grandchildren and multiple great grandchildren. His wife of 70 years passed away last year.