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Farmington fatal hit-and-run: Loved ones remember 13-year-old boy
An Apple Valley family is holding on to hope and faith as investigators search for the driver in a Farmington hit-and-run that left 13-year-old Sasha Balandin dead. FOX 9's Leon Purvis has the latest details.
FARMINGTON, Minn. (FOX 9) - A family is holding on to hope and faith as police search for the driver who struck and killed their 13-year-old son while he was riding his bike.
Family and community remember Sasha Balandin
What we know:
Police say 13-year-old Sasha Balandin was hit and killed while riding his bike near Highway 50 and Dushane Parkway in Farmington. The driver, believed to be in a silver or gray 2008 to 2011 Ford Focus, left the scene and has not been found.
Sasha’s family is struggling with the loss.
"We just collapsed and we were in shock, crying like, 'No, it's not happening.' And they were there, holding our hands, praying with us, just being there with," said Evgeniy Balandin, Sasha’s dad.
Sasha’s mom, Elena Balandina, described the pain of losing her son.
"One day you angry, you wanna break everything. One day you sad and thinking it's unfair. It should never ever happened," said Elena.
The family remembers Sasha as a boy who loved fishing, enjoyed growing things and was deeply connected to his Christian faith. His baptism is a memory they hold close. Outside, the garden Sasha helped plant still grows, and his mom has kept every plant just as he left it.
"Yeah, because I know for sure there’s so many god moments for this past week," said Elena.
Inside Sasha’s room, reminders of him remain—hats hanging where he left them, action figures on the shelves and even his cologne, with one for summer and another for winter. "Pokémon, oh he liked Lego when he was little, there was different things he got into," said Elena.
Friends and community seek answers
Why you should care:
Sasha’s best friend, Alejandro Bonilla, shared how hard it is to lose someone he’s known for so long.
"It's kind of hard to believe that like somebody known so long is dead," said Bonilla.
"It's like every day you call him, and you're like, 'Hey, what's up? Let's go play,' and just not being able to to get on the game with him anymore is just like obviously there's other friends that you could play with, but with Sasha, it's it's just not the same," said Bonilla.
Sasha’s family and friends are hoping for closure and for someone to come forward with information about the driver.
"See that he has justice, and start healing from that. And on top of that, forgive him in order for us to start healing," said Elena.
The family’s hope is that justice will help them begin to heal from their loss.