‘He gave people inspiration’: Vigil held for Las Vegas boy, 16, killed in scooter crash

As Ashley Kidd of Las Vegas stood just steps from where her teenage son was fatally struck by a vehicle earlier this month, multiple people came up to hug her and offer condolences.

On July 11, 16-year-old Aireon Avery was riding a non-electric scooter down a parking ramp near East Sierra Vista Drive and South Maryland Parkway. After his scooter spilled into the roadway on Sierra Vista, Avery was struck by a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.

Avery died four days later. On Thursday evening, Kidd and close to 50 others gathered at the site of the crash at dusk for a vigil to remember Avery, a student at Chaparral High School.

“It’s beautiful that all these people came out here tonight,” Kidd said. “Aireon had so many friends. He had more friends than I even knew. He gave people inspiration.”

In a July 18 news release, Metro said Avery may have been performing a stunt as he approached Sierra Vista that day.

A 33-year-old Las Vegas man was behind the wheel of the Tahoe, though he was not cited by police following the crash. Metro said in the news release that the crash was being investigated.

Nardel Trishell, 16, was with Avery when the crash happened. He fought back tears Thursday while talking about his friend.

“He was a really funny guy,” Trishell said. “He was my best friend. He got me into riding a scooter.”

Trishell said Avery was skilled on the scooter and known to perform tricks. Kidd said she sometimes worried about her son’s safety.

“He would sometimes roll out fast and I’d be like ‘boy, slow down,’” Kidd said. “But kids that age, they don’t really want to listen. He wanted to do tricks on that scooter and get a sponsor. He wanted to go pro, basically.”

The Clark County coroner’s office on Monday said Avery died of blunt force injuries and ruled his death an accident. As of Saturday, a GoFundMe started by Avery’s grandmother Christine Eyink to cover the boy’s funeral expenses had raised nearly $1,100 of its stated $4,500 goal.

Avery, who was born in Dayton, Ohio, and his mother moved to the Las Vegas Valley in 2020, Kidd said. Another vigil is being planned by relatives in Ohio and a private memorial service will take place at a later date.

‘People would just gravitate toward him’

Trishell said he would often tag along with Avery to sell candy on the Strip. Kidd said Avery was good at the practice, which she called “hustling,” and that he was naturally good at connecting with people.

“He would just be out there selling candy or just be in certain spots like the Strip, and people would just gravitate toward him,” Kidd recalled of her son. “He’d go down there for a boxing event or when they’re having basketball tournaments. He was always down there when something big was going on.“

His entrepreneurial ventures would lead to the occasional run-in with a famous athlete or other notable public figure, including on two occasions actor Mark Wahlberg, she said.

At the vigil, Kidd wore a custom-made T-shirt that featured a photo of Avery lifting up his 1-year-old sister, Leilani. In the photo, Avery is showing off a bright smile.

“I keep showing her pictures of Aireon,” Kidd said of her daughter. “I never thought something like this would happen.”

Avery is survived by his mother; father Anthony Avery; grandmother Christine Eyink; great-grandmother “Odie” Eyink; two brothers and two sisters; and many aunts, uncles and cousins.

“And he’ll be very missed by a lot of friends,” Kidd said. “He had a lot of friends, too.”

Avery’s death marked the 91st traffic-related fatality counted in Metro’s jurisdiction in 2025.

Contact Bryan Horwath at bhorwath@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BryanHorwath on X. Contact Casey Harrison at charrison@reviewjournal.com, or follow @Casey_Harrison1 on X.