'He was so young': Family remembers Regina teen killed in pedestrian collision

Family mourns loss of teen killed in collision The family of a 16-year-old hit by a vehicle over the weekend will be holding a vigil on Thursday. Mick Favel repo

A family is reeling after the life of a Regina teenager was cut short over the weekend.

In the early morning hours of April 23, Dendrae Lonechild was struck and killed by a vehicle on 13th Avenue, near Garnet Street in Regina's Cathedral neighbourhood.

Since the accident, Lonechild’s family have been trying to make sense of the tragedy.

“He was only sixteen,” Rebecca Big Eagle, Lonechild’s aunt, told CTV News. “He was so young, he had a lot of things I know he wanted to achieve.”

Lonechild was a long-time resident of the Cathedral neighbourhood, attending the Crescents Elementary School.

At the time of his death, he was a Grade 10 student at Sheldon Williams Collegiate.

Online gaming was a passion of Lonechild. Since his death, members of his online community have reached out to his family to share memories and support.

“We don’t see that side of him, so it was nice to see him laughing with his friends,” Big Eagle said.

Lonechild was the second oldest of nine siblings.

Big Eagle said he was taking steps to reconnect with his Indigenous culture.

The night of his death, Lonechild attended a powwow being held in Regina.

Moving forward, Big Eagle and the rest of Lonechild’s family, hope his death can bring awareness to Indigenous youth and the need for better access to Indigenous culture in urban settings.

“We need to create safe spaces for our young warriors, and create those opportunities for them to reconnect with their culture,” she said.

A vigil will be held April 27, on 13th Avenue, near where the accident took place.

A GoFundMe page has been created by friends of Lonechild, as well as an Indian taco sale to help cover various costs.

The Regina Police Service (RPS) has said there is an investigation currently underway, which includes Level 3 and Level 4 collision reconstructionists.