By Jack Chavez, Staff Writer
The intersection of Grays Corner Road and Riddle Lane with Route 50 in the background. The intersection is close to where authorities said a dark-colored Mercedes struck and killed 14-year-old Gavin Knupp. JACK CHAVEZ/BAYSIDE GAZETTE
Maryland State Police are investigating a fatal pedestrian hit-and-run crash that claimed the life of a 14-year-old boy Monday night.
Gavin Knupp, of Ocean Pines, was pronounced deceased by hospital personnel at Atlantic General Hospital, according to a press release.
The preliminary investigation indicates that at approximately 10:45 p.m., Knupp was walking on Grays Corner Road when he was struck and killed by a vehicle traveling east.
Knupp was crossing the road to return to a vehicle when he was struck, according to the investigation. That vehicle fled the scene and did not return.
Authorities are attempting to identify the car via camera footage. Some information about the vehicle is known and has been shared with surrounding law enforcement, according to police.
Based on evidence at the scene and the ongoing investigation, authorities believe the vehicle that struck and killed Knupp was a dark color Mercedes, likely a 2011 or 2012.
As of Thursday afternoon, authorities are still searching for the car and driver.
They believe the Mercedes sustained damage to the driver’s left side mirror and headlight.
An officer stationed at the Berlin barracks of the Maryland State Police said that there are traffic cameras in the vicinity but none that record. They’re working with local businesses in the area to see if any have security footage that caught the vehicle.
Anyone who witnessed this crash, or who may have information about the suspect vehicle, is urged to contact Maryland State Police at the Berlin Barracks at 410-641-3101, or Cpl. Kevin Moore of the Maryland State Police Crash Team at 410-819-4721.
“Last night our earth stopped and our hearts shattered. Tiffany, Ray and Summer Knupp will never be the same. They lost their son, and brother,” read a statement on a GoFundMe website set up for the family. “Gavin Knupp, a sweet, funny, bright, 14-year-old boy, was taken in a senseless hit and run. This was never supposed to happen.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, the website had raised nearly $30,000. An update posted by the family said that the money will help the family find needed support and that a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Surfer’s Healing, which the website states would have “meant so much to (Knupp).”
To visit the fundraiser site, visit https://gofund.me/c875e0d6.
This story appears in the print version of the Bayside Gazette on July 14, 2022.