Friends and family gather to remember hit-and-run victim

Police said Kristopher Quick, 25, died when an SUV struck his mo-ped on eastbound Interstate 40 at Gorman Street.

"I don't know how someone can hit somebody, and leave them on the road like that," said Heidi Quick, victim's mother.

The Raleigh Times, where Quick worked as a cook, was closed for lunch Tuesday, as staff, family and friends gathered to remember him.

"He became like family. He was always there for you if you needed him,” said Corey Palakovich, a Raleigh Times chef.

The restaurant held a fundraiser in Quick's honor Tuesday night.

"We just thought it was fitting to celebrate everybody that he has touched, and everything that he has done,” said David McComas, Raleigh Times general manager.

The restaurant served free food and collected donations for Quick's family.

"I thank you a thousand and one times. My family thanks you. My friends thank you. Thank you whoever you are. Thank you because you took a bad man off the streets,” Heidi Quick said.

News of the arrest was bittersweet to Quick's friends because it won't bring Quick back.

"He touched your heart," Palakovich said.

Friends say Quick lived on the streets in San Francisco before moving to North Carolina. He came to the area about a year ago to reconnect with his mother. She said they hadn't been in contact for 11 years.