An 18-year-old missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elder Aleki Langi, was killed in a tragic hit-and-run accident in Charlotte, as confirmed by church officials. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department reported that the crash occurred around 5 p.m. on Beatties Ford Road near the Northwest School of the Arts. The young man, who had only begun his service in March of this year and was temporarily assigned to the North Carolina Charlotte Mission, was awaiting a visa to serve in Jamaica.
According to QC News, the driver of the vehicle that struck Langi and a 19-year-old companion, who sustained minor injuries, fled the scene immediately after causing the accident which prompted the CMPD to classify the incident as a felony hit-and-run. The suspect, an unknown Black male according to the police description, has not yet been apprehended. The incident left one other missionary companion unharmed, officials said, but this community, and certainly the victim's family, friends, and fellow missionaries are left to grapple with the weight of such a sudden loss.
"We extend our deepest condolences and love to Elder Langi’s family, friends, and fellow missionaries during this difficult time," a spokesman for the Church, Sam Penrod, expressed in a statement obtained by QC News. Witnesses at the scene described a chaotic aftermath with some bystanders rushing to help the injured. Tracy Setzer, a local business employee, recounted the immediate response, "We all took off down the street to see what we could do to assist."
The tragedy was also witnessed by Joshua Artist, who offered his account to WCNC. "I was waiting on a bus because I was my way to my job," Artist said, "Three guys that were on bicycles, as soon as they got right here to the front where they drive into the school, that's when a car swerved out of Russell [Avenue] and when it swerved, it hit. And then it hit some other cars coming this way, hit the car on the other side, too. Then a whole bunch of dirt came in the air and the car [was] sideways, started coming my way and I had to back up this way. And I didn’t even see the guy get hit on the bicycle, that’s how quick it was.” The road was closed for several hours for investigation, but it has since reopened.
The church, in mourning the loss of their missionary, called on their faith for solace. "We pray that they will each feel the Savior’s comfort and peace as they mourn his passing and honor his dedicated missionary service," the church conveyed in a statement. Meanwhile, the ongoing investigation by the CMPD has local authorities urging anyone with information to come forward and assist, as reported by WSOCTV.
