Memorial Service for Garland Boy Celebrates His Love of Basketball

12-year-old was struck by SUV while riding his bike

A celebration of a 12-year-old Garland boy's life on Wednesday night came with a necessary accessory -- basketballs.

One by one, young people filed into the Northlake Baptist Church, basketballs in tow, to remember Jaylyn Jackson, who died Tuesday from injuries sustained when he was hit by a sport utility vehicle while riding his bicycle last week.

"We don't want to just do people talking," pastor John Carl said about the memorial service. "We want to do what Jaylyn would want to do, which is play basketball."

Jackson was hit June 12 while riding in the 1500 block of North Country Club Road, directly in front of Northlake Baptist. He was headed to the church to play his favorite sport and was carrying a basketball with him at the time of the accident.

"He loved playing basketball," friend Jatavian Boykins said. "He loved to go to the park at Northlake and play. He would come to our house sometimes and play with me, basketball."

Hundreds of people attended the three-hour memorial, which also included songs and a talk led by Carl.

The driver who hit Jackson has not been charged in the case.

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