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Mother urges drivers to 'put phones up, turn off the radio' after hit-and-run in Jacksonville

Shannon Johnson lost her son to a hit-and-run on Jacksonville's Northside. The driver did not stop and has not been found.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — It's a plea Shannon Johnson wasn't planning to make, but after the hit-and-run death of her son Shane Reed, it's now become a personal crusade to get drivers to slow down.

"I will for sure never give up on my baby," she said through tears. 

The crash on Jacksonville's Northside remains unsolved.

Shane was riding his bike and was hit from behind, according to the police report. The driver did not stop.

"Until you are in this scenario, you don't really know how bad it is," she sai.

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is looking for the driver of this SUV, involved in a hit-and-run on 8th street.  The victim was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. 

They are looking for a white Volkswagen Jetta that may have front bumper damage after a pedestrian was seriously hurt in a hit-and-run on Blanding Boulevard and Wheeler Avenue earlier this spring. 

Credit: WTLV
A white, 2015-2018 Volkswagen Jetta may have front bumper damage from a crash on Blanding Boulevard and Wheeler Avenue in April.

"Put the phones up. Turn the radio off. When you get behind the wheel, pay attention to what's going on out there," Johnson said.

Depending on the severity of injuries, vehicular homicide in Florida is punishable up to 15 to 30 years in prison.

Johnson wants to see harsher sentences for those who don't stop, describing hit and runs as preventable tragedies. "Cause it's heart-wrenching. It's hard to relive it everyday," Johnson said. 

RELATED: Jacksonville police investigating hit and run, pedestrian struck

RELATED: Data says Blanding, Southside Boulevard most at-risk areas for car crashes citywide

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