FORT MEADE, Fla. — On day three of nine days of mourning, the Martinez family was surrounded by family and friends.
"God gained a little angel. He's still gonna be watching over us," Marisela Martinez said.
The community embraces Marisela Martinez and her family while candles lit photos of her 9-year-old brother taken too soon. Andrés Martinez was smart, funny and outgoing. The fourth-grader would've turned 10 at the end of October.
"Everybody really loved him. He was just the light to everybody's day," Marisela Martinez said.
He was one of eight siblings. He loved to ride his bike and go to his friend's house every single night after school.
That's what he was doing Friday evening when a red pickup truck hit him right outside his driveway on Hutchins Road. The man behind the wheel never stopped.
"It is beyond comprehension that anyone could hit another person with their vehicle and not stop to render aid or help," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said.
Deputies arrested 45-year-old Gilbert Almaguer hours after the crash in Hardee County. Investigators say he lied about being the driver of the truck before admitting to seeing Andrés before hitting him.
"I can't say I hate him and stuff because I don't think that's what Andrés would want, but he did take a big part of our life. It's not something that you can just forgive and forget," Marisela Martinez said.
The marks on the road just outside their driveway are now a painful reminder of the light they lost.
"This had happened to him before, like almost the same accident," Marisela Martinez said.
But three years ago, the driver stayed and tried to help. The family says he was 6 years old at the time and wasn't traumatized. He asked for a new bike for his birthday.
"He was always very cautious looking both ways. After that accident, the cops didn't really do anything. It was just like as if this had to happen again just for them to at least try to make it safer," Marisela Martinez said.
Now the family wants something to be done on the road just outside their home. The community is pushing for more public safety measures, too.
"At least some safety signal or fix the road. Maybe put a sidewalk for the kids. They have to be safe," Marisela Martinez said.
For now, Gilbert Almaguer is being held at the Hardee County Jail. He'll eventually be transferred to the Polk County Jail.
The Martinez family is looking to hold a funeral for Andrés within the next week and is raising funds to pay for it. If you'd like to support them, you can here.