Tucson family remembers son killed in hit-and-run accident

TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – Dillon Mares is described by his family as bright, generous, funny, kind and, most importantly, his mother's best friend.

Brittany Lockwood said Dillon would call her every Sunday, but now the phone remains silent following his unexpected death.

“I will miss his voice when I hear him call me mom. I'm the lucky one. “I feel so blessed to have been chosen to be his mother,” Lockwood said.

Mares was killed in a hit-and-run accident in downtown Phoenix early Sunday morning. Phoenix police said 24-year-old Travis Smith ran a red light and collided with Mares, who was crossing the intersection.

Smith left the scene but called Phoenix police later that day to turn himself in.

“He really had such a zest for life and had so many things he wanted to do, so much travel, so many places to go,” Lockwood said. “He had a goal of overcoming a lot of fears and stuff and he had all these plans and to know that he was taken is just not fair.”

Dillon played football at Palo Verde High School before transferring to Cienega High School during his senior year as the team's quarterback, quickly earning the name “Nightmare” on the field.

He has lived in Phoenix for several years, is active in a running club and has two jobs. He was recently promoted to team leader at Castle Biosciences, something Lockwood said she never had the opportunity to learn more about.

“He has made great progress in his job. The influx in both places was overwhelming. Every single person loved him and told us what an asset he was to them, and they were all family to him too,” Lockwood said.

Lockwood said Dillon isn't the only story involving hit-and-runs and red-light runs. This is frustrating for them because people don't understand that a person's world can be destroyed in a matter of seconds.

“I'm angry, I'm sad and it's not fair that he's not here. But whoever did it, that’s not fair to me,” Lockwood said. “We need to work on the laws for things like this, we really do.”

Laws like this could help others who lose a shining light like Dillon.

“He just always wanted to make people smile. “He never wanted anyone to be sad, and if he knew someone was having a bad day, he knew exactly what to say to cheer them up,” Lockwood said.

Even though Dillon is no longer there to brighten the room, his memory will live on through his family and friends.

“We really feel so much love and support and it's comforting to know that they were able to share parts of him too and we all just feel so lucky and just blessed,” Lockwood said.

The family has set up a GoFund me to cover funeral costs. If you would like to donate, you can do so here.

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