JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Friends and family gathered Sunday morning at New Life International Church to celebrate the life of Genesis Webber, a 13-year-old killed in a hit-and-run crash in Arlington about a month ago.
Webber’s family says the young teen was full of faith and loved sports and dancing.
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She was laid to rest Sunday after a service at the church less than 2 miles from where she died.
Police said Webber was walking home from school along the sidewalk on Arlington Road North, south of Arlington Expressway, when a truck ran over a curb, struck her and hit a fence.
The driver, later identified by police as 54-year-old Andre Myers, left the scene. Police said they were able to track him down and found him sleeping in his truck the day after.
Myers later pleaded not guilty to a felony charge related to the crash.
The damaged fence that marks the spot of the crash is now covered in remembrances for the girl, whose mom said she was “beautiful, smart and all-around talented.”
“She did every sport that you could think of. She was not scared. She was fearless,” Genesis’ mother, Shardae Webber, told News4JAX at an earlier gathering to remember her daughter. “She had a lot of energy. Everybody was attracted to her.”
The community has shown the Webber family overwhelming support, and her mother said that has helped with the healing process.
“You would have never thought how many people that one child can touch, like how many hearts,” Shardae Webber said. “You know what I mean? She was a diamond. She still is because she’s going to be one of the brightest stars in the sky.”
Webber said she wants her little girl to be remembered for how she lived rather than how she died.
“I want everyone to remember her beautiful eyes, her smile, her energy. She was one of a kind,” Webber said. “She’s one of one, so there’s not gonna be no one else like her.”
Click here to donate to the GoFundMe set up by the Webber family.