Colorado family devastated after 18 year old is killed in a hit and run
The music at Emiliano Malpica-Medina's Colorado vigil was festive and helped to alleviate the grief felt by his friends and family.
Dozens gathered Wednesday night for the vigil on 58th Avenue and Holly Street in Commerce City, the same spot where Emiliano and his family were struck by a car over the weekend. The 18-year-old died and his mother, father and brother ended up in the hospital. His mother spent Wednesday night in surgery.
But even with that heaviness in their hearts, friends of Emiliano gathered to do what he taught them to do: find the happiness in life.
"It amazes me how much people loved my brother," said Emiliano's older sister Karen.
The family was on the way to her house in Commerce City when they were hit by a vehicle. The driver of that car and their passengers got into another vehicle and left the scene. The hit and run shocked the community and many expected to come to Wednesday's vigil overcome with grief. Instead, they were surprised by an announcement by the authorities: one of the individuals involved in the hit had been arrested.
"The arrest they made," Karen said. "[It] brings peace that I know my brother is getting.
For others, like Emiliano's best friend Lillyanna Santivanev, it was complex.
"I just hope that they know in their hearts that it really impacted the community," she told CBS Colorado. "Not just my family or his family. It was a community that knew Emiliano."
Amidst that grief and the calls for justice, there was music -- classical Mexican songs -- and plenty of dancing. It was one of the things everyone said about Emiliano that will stay with them forever. Whether it was dancing to La Chona or singing karaoke, the 18-year-old lit up rooms, according to his friends. And, when they needed him most, he'd be there to pick them up.
"He was just always there," said Lillyanna. "He always knew how to make you smile, knew how to make you laugh. If you were down, he could lift you up. Even if you were happy, he could make you 100 times happier."
"He loved just any Mexican old music like old people's music," Karen added. "He just loved it and that makes me happy."
A lasting image of love, joy and freedom in expression. As the evening turned in Commerce City, friends sang, danced and every now and then cried. While one arrest has been made, friends and family hope that the other individuals who were involved in the crash come forward. So no family, Karen told CBS Colorado, has to experience a tragedy like this.
"I think people just need to slow down and think of others," she said. "It happened to my family but it could've been them."
A GoFundMe online fundraiser has been set up for the Malpica family in the wake of the accident.
