AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — The Grigler family is dealing with the loss of their 14-year-old son Kashontez after he was run over by a fellow teenager in a stolen minivan.
According to the Aurora Police Department, the accident happened at Village Green Park in Aurora on Oct. 18.
“It’s hard to cope. We haven’t had his funeral services yet. Until we can get that under control, it’s going to be hard to move on,” Kasseem Grigler, Kashontez’s father, said.
APD said traffic investigators believe that the minivan, a stolen vehicle, was being driven by a girl at the time of the crash. The victim was hanging on the front of the vehicle when he slid off, fell underneath and was then run over.
“It hurts, it’s hurting all of us,” Grigler said.
It was reported that the driver of the vehicle had fled the scene on foot.
The driver of the vehicle eventually returned to the scene of the crash and spoke with investigators. At this time no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
“She was my son’s homecoming date. It’s not even easy for her. They were friends and it was an accident,” Grigler said.
Grigler said he is under the impression that the keys were inside the minivan when the teens took it.
“The car was in the neighborhood and a group of kids, they saw the car and the temptation was there. Because of that, I lost my son,” Grigler said.
Grigler compared the situation with the stolen car to leaving firearms around for teens to access. He also said that it is Colorado law that motorists can be ticketed if they leave their cars running unattended.
FOX31 and Channel 2 reached out to APD so they could confirm the keys were inside the stolen vehicle prior to being taken.
“You shouldn’t leave your keys in the car. You have teens walking up and down the street and that could be a liability,” Grigler said.
Kashontez was described as the class clown. He was a freshman at Gateway High School. He’s survived by his dad, mom and six siblings.
While the family is still coping, they still have not held funeral services for Kashontez and are raising funds to do so. Donations can go to this GoFundMe account.
