STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. – A huge circle of friends and family of 17-year-old Patryk Koziol surrounded the Sterling Heights Skatepark Friday night.
Everyone including his parents wanted to honor his life.
UPDATE: Man charged with second-degree murder in Sterling Heights crash that killed teenager
“He was our precious. He was our boy, our joy, our hope, our future. He was just everything,” said the teen’s father, Pawel Koziol.
Patryk was killed in a vehicle crash on July 3 at the intersection of Van Dyke Avenue and 18 Mile Road. Police said he was driving westbound on18 Mile Road when he was hit by a Dodge Durango driving northbound.
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“I was devastated for the last couple of days,” Pawel Koziol said.
His death affected everybody, especially his close friends.
“I kind of freaked out a little bit. I didn’t take it all well. I started screaming and everything. I lost my mind a little bit because he was one of my best friends,” said Julian Dushaj.
“He’s like my second half pretty much. We did everything together. He was the person who guided me through, all the rough times I went through. He was like that dude,” said Travis Haller.
His friends said they would often ride their bikes at the skate park in Sterling Heights, so it was only right that they honor him at the spot he loved.
“No matter how tragic our loss is, there’s hope. Thank you very much for everybody, for support of the people we received. It just means to us a lot,” said Pawel Koziol.
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