12-year-old boy hit and killed by car a few weeks before his birthday

LITHIA SPRINGS, Georgia – A 12-year-old boy was tragically struck and killed by a car last weekend, just weeks before his birthday.

According to Douglasville Police, Elijah Holmes of Lithia Springs was killed on Saturday, June 8, just 20 days before his 13th birthday, when he was struck by a car on Thornton Road.

Holmes was crossing the street when he was hit by a car, police said. He was taken to the hospital, where he died.

Holmes’ mother, Nadia, has launched an online fundraiser to help pay for his funeral, which will take place on June 28 – the day he would have turned 13. At the time of publication, just over 10% of the $20,000 goal had been reached.

EJ, as he was called, was a 6-foot-tall “gentle giant,” his family said in the online fundraiser. He was a student at Floyd Middle School and a member of the Wallace Park football team in Mableton. His dream was to go to college on a football scholarship and one day become a judge.

According to Nadia Holmes’ message at the fundraiser, Elijah envisioned his upcoming 8th grade year as his “Glo Up” year. She based his funeral on that theme.

“Instead of planning a birthday party, I am now organizing a funeral to honor his memory on his birthday, June 28th,” the fundraiser states. “In the midst of our broken hearts and deep sorrow, we find comfort in the belief that EJ now rests in the embrace of God’s eternal love.”

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