Family and
friends are mourning a 32-year-old Durham man killed last week in a hit-and-run.
Chicago native Aaron Crouse lived in Durham for
the last seven years.
Crouse earned his Master’s of Divinity at Duke University, and
then worked with Duke Engage for about two and a half years.
Associate Director of Duke Engage at the Kenan
Institute for Ethics Inga Peterson called Crouse a light.
“He really believed in the power of people
and he lived that every day,” Peterson said. “His work was really about lifting
up others and reimagining what justice and care could look like in an urban
environment.”
Peterson said Crouse was a special part of the
team, describing him as a person who built community wherever he went.
“I fostered and adopted my son, who is now 17. I
am a single, white mother of a black son, and Aaron took my son under his wing
and helped him think about what it would mean to be a Black man living in the
community,” Peterson said. “He would do things like take my son on a huge
fishing trip with his friends. We had fish in the freezer for I don’t know how
long!”
Crouse was hit and killed around 9:30 p.m. Thursday, May 1, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.
The State Highway Patrol said the crash happened on East
Geer Street near Ferrell Road in Durham County.
Authorities are
looking for a silver Toyota Tundra connected to the crash. The truck has
front-end damage on the passenger side.
‘We are heartbroken’: Family and friends remember Aaron Crouse
On Monday, WRAL News spoke with Crouse’s sister, Keira Crouse, along with several family members and friends.
“He was about to be 33. May 16th was his birthday,”
Keira Crouse said. “He had so much more work to do.”
Aaron Crouse was beloved: The call with Keira Crouse turned into almost a dozen family members and friends remembering him.
David Wilson II and Ed Wright knew Aaron Crouse from
high school.
“He was a shepherd, a true shepherd, what it
means to be a shepherd. He was a scholar, loved intelligent conversations,”
Wilson II said.
“He created spaces of vulnerability for
people and for others, for them to feel cared for, and seen, and valued,”
Wright said. “He was bold in his vision. He was bold in his love. He was
bold in how he chose to show up for people.”
Aundra Johnson was a high school friend of Aaron Crouse.
“He was honest,” Johnson said. “He was genuine. He was present. We are heartbroken.”
Other high school friends also shared
remembrances, a testament to Aaron Crouse’s ability to forge lifelong bonds.
“He was very community oriented in each community.
He was born and raised in Chicago area, did a lot of work in ministry and youth
here,” Rob Campbell said. “He was a member of the phi beta sigma
fraternity and did a lot of community service in the area.”
“Aaron was his smile,” Samantha Frazier-Keys
told WRAL News. “What I mean by that is, Aaron always had a genuine smile to offer
everybody.”
“He was kind and thoughtful. He was
sacrificial,” Sabrina Walker said. “He was everything that we all needed.
Even from a distance, even all the way from North Carolina.”
“Aaron invested in people. He invested in his
community, he invested in his friendships,” Milan Rayes said.
“Aaron was light. He was pure light, and the
physical embodiment of love,” Aundra Johnson said. “It is something that
can never be replaced. It is an absence that will be felt for the rest of time.”
Keira Crouse is calling for justice for her late brother.
“I want whoever
did this to be found swiftly. That’s all I want,” Crouse said. “His death is
not in vain, because the life he lived and showed everyone, that’s going to
continue to be remembered and lived on.”
State troopers
are asking anyone that may have witnessed this crash or can provide further
information to call the State Highway Patrol office in Durham County at 919-560-6868.