A student athlete and altar boy was killed in a hit-and-run on Valentine’s Day in Louisiana.
Kulyn Brook Manuel, 14, was crossing a major highway on an electric bicycle when he was allegedly hit by Ethan Trahan, 22, of Reeves, according to KPLC.
Trahan fled the scene, but was later arrested after investigators connected him to the white pickup truck hauling a horse trailer that was seen on surveillance, according to the outlet.
He was booked into jail two days after the incident.
Maunel’s family remembered him as a ‘shining star’ who had a ‘bright future.’
‘He was going to be something, and he was going places,’ his Great Aunt Denise Walker told KPLC. ‘He was just a joy.’
The Oberlin eighth grader was a multi-sport athlete, who was also an altar boy with dreams of being a priest when he got older, his family said.
‘He excelled in sports, he excelled in school, in school work, he made straight-As. He was the nicest child, he was very polite, he was always respectful to older people,’ Walker said.
Kulyn Brook Manuel, 14, was killed in a hit-and-run on Valentine’s Day. He was crossing a major highway on an electric bicycle
His sister, Lainey Manuel, learned of his death the day of and said it was one of the ‘most heartbreaking’ phone calls
He recently won student of the year at school for the second time. He was given the distinction the first time in the fifth grade.
Manuel was a straight-A student at the school, where he was also a member of the Beta Club, ran track, and played baseball, basketball, and football.
Manuel brought ‘joy, energy, and kindness into every room he entered,’ his family said in his obituary.
Ethan Trahan, 22, of Reeves, was arrested for the deadly hit-and-run
A GoFundMe was started to support his family. It has raised nearly $14,000 of its $25,000 goal.
‘No family should have to face such a loss alone. Any donation, share, or prayer is deeply appreciated, and will help lift some of the weight so the family can focus on grieving and healing,’ his aunt, Heather Manuel-Coe, wrote.
‘Kulyn was more than a student and athlete. He was a young man with big dreams, a contagious smile, and a heart full of love. His life, though far too short, made a lasting impact on everyone who knew him.’
His sister, Lainey Manuel, said she found out about her brother’s death around 10pm on Valentine’s Day, calling it the ‘most heartbreaking phone call.’
The two had plans to see each other in the coming weeks, and she promised his killer would get ‘karma.’
Manuel was an altar boy and had dreams of being a priest one day, his family said
The eighth grader was a straight-A student who had been named student of the year twice, including this year
He leaves behind his parents, three brothers, and two sisters. Manuel is pictured with his mother Darlene Chaumont
The 14-year-old was also a multi-sport athlete, having played baseball, basketball, and football
‘To hit someone and leave them for dead is such an inhumane thing to do. I could never imagine doing that to somebody, especially a child,’ she wrote on Facebook.
He leaves behind his parents, three brothers, and two sisters.
Trahan has been charged with a hit-and-run.
The Daily Mail has contacted the Allen Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Manuel family for comment.
