JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Family and friends are mourning the loss of a 28-year-old man who was killed while riding his motorcycle Saturday night. Police identified the victim as Christopher Cochran.
Investigators said he was going east on Beach Boulevard when he hit a car turning onto Cortez Road.
Those who knew and loved Cochran hope to honor his memory in a special way Monday night.
Kyle Wade was there when the accident happened. He said his goal is to honor Cochran in a way he would want and to help his family.
"In the motorcycle community, you are brothers," Wade said. "No matter what you ride, you're on two wheels, you are brothers."
Wade said he barely knew Cochran for more than a week, but immediately saw what a generous, caring friend and father he was.
"I started to get the sense of, you know, this is a man that I want to be around," Wade said. "Because he was 28. I’m still 20. I’m still young, you know. I looked up to him. I was telling my fiancee, I was like, 'This is a man, baby I’m so glad I’ve got a good friend I can be with.'"
Wade said the two shared a love of motorcycles and quickly developed a friendship. But he made it clear he doesn't want this to be about him. He wants to move forward, focusing on Cochran and the legacy he leaves behind.
"Just the way he just loved his kids, you know what I mean?" Wade said. "It was just, that's what a father's supposed to be. And that's the man that everyone should look at and say, 'I want to be more like him. That's the person I want to be.'"
Wade is hoping to honor that legacy with a memorial fit for a friend like Cochran. He's planning a motorcycle ride on April 16, riding the route they would regularly take. He's calling it 'One Last Ride' and has a Facebook page dedicated to the event.
Wade said nearly 50 people have already committed to riding and hundreds more have expressed interest. He hopes to raise money for Cochran's family, which is now without its main provider.
"This is just to help reach out to anyone who can possibly help and anybody that wants to come and join and share the love and be there for his wife and for his kids so she can see everybody that truly does care about him," Wade said.
Cochran leaves behind a wife, a 5-year-old son and an unborn baby girl.
If you'd like to take part in the memorial, you can find 'One Last Ride' on Facebook for more information.
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