🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
A memorial service was held in California on Saturday for 6-year-old Aiden Leos, who was killed in an apparent road rage incident on May 21, ABC7 Los Angeles reported. Meanwhile, the suspected killer remains at large as the reward for information leading to an arrest has grown to $500,000.
The service was held at Calvary Chapel Yorba Linda and was not open to the public, but a livestream was held for online viewing.
"I want to welcome you to the memorial service of Aiden Leos. The deliberate choice of words, this is a memorial, not a funeral. A funeral is a ceremony, it's held in connection with the burial or cremation, someone's death and it signifies the end of their existence. A memorial service is a ceremony serving to preserve the remembrance of someone's life," Pastor Joshua Holiday said at the memorial.
"We're here to celebrate Aiden's life."
Aiden's family spoke at the memorial, describing the young boy as joyful and kind.
"Everywhere we went he would greet people with a 'hello I'm Aiden, what's your name?" his mother Joanna Cloonan said.
Aiden's sister Alexis Cloonan also spoke at the memorial about her brother.
"I think of all the memories we shared together, all the times we laughed and smiled, all the times he comforted me when I was sad. My brother was an example of God's gift to the world," Alexis said.
Aiden was killed during a shooting that took place on May 21 between 7:55 a.m. and 8:10 a.m. local time while two vehicles were driving northbound on SR-55 freeway, California Highway Patrol Officer Florentino Olivera told Newsweek.
A post from the California Highway Patrol on Facebook showed an image of the actual suspected vehicle, which police said appears to be a white Volkswagen Golf Sportswagen with non-tinted windows.
Police also said the "suspect vehicle was occupied by a female driver and a male passenger." The license plate of the vehicle is unknown.
The reward for information leading to an arrest grew to $500,000 on Thursday, according to the website aiden-reward.com, which lists information about the shooting as well as how to submit information.
The website also has a breakdown of how much money of the reward is coming from different sources. The amounts include $50,000 from Aiden's family, $50,000 from anonymous donors, and $10,000 from a GoFundMe.
Two GoFundMe pages have been established to help both of Aiden's parents following the event. The page to support Aiden's mother had reached over $338,000 as of Sunday. The page for Aiden's father was over $30,000.
The family has asked for supporters to donate to either of the pages rather than sending flowers.
