TULSA -- A Tulsa family is mourning the loss of Larenz Valentine, a 24-year-old father of two with another on the way, after a deadly hit and run accident over the weekend.
Sherlonda Valentine-Moore, Larenz's mother, says her son always dreamed of riding motorcycles.
"I bought him his first four wheeler when he was nine-months-old for Christmas," said Valetine-Moore.
She says her oldest son loved riding his bike, working on cars, and had an infectious personality.
"My son was very energetic, he was a joker, he loved being around people, he was a people person," said Valetine-Moore.
Larenz was riding Saturday morning around 1:30, when he collided with a black Honda at the intersection of 31st and Mingo. The driver, police describing as a Hispanic man wearing a white tank top, left the scene.
"I am a person, I am a human of course I’m going to get angry but God knows what be planned, just turn yourself in," said Valentine-Moore.
This isn’t the first time the family has been impacted by motorcycle accidents. Larenz’s younger brother Kieonta was riding in a group near Tulsa County Fairgrounds a few years ago, when he was hit by a driver who fled the scene. Kieonta is now a paraplegic.
"He said when he was getting ready to hit the curb, he told God, please take me and make sure my brother lives, so he was ready to die for his brother, just to have his brother die in a motorcycle anyway," said Valentine-Moore.
Sherlonda is mourning the loss of her oldest son, who was going to meet his first daughter in November with his high school sweet heart and fiance.
"I couldn’t look at her for a while because he loved her so much and then when I see her I see him," said Valetine-Moore.
The Tulsa mother is begging drivers to share the road safely with motorcycles.
"Be advised of your surroundings, be kind, be mindful," said Valetine-Moore.
Larenz's funeral, open to friends and family, will be held on Saturday August 31 at Greater St. John AME Church at 10 a.m.
The family also has a Go Fund Me to help with funeral expenses.
If you know anything about the hit and run, you're asked to call Tulsa Crime Stoppers at 918-596-2677 or you can submit a tip anonymously on their website.
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