Family calls for justice after motorcyclist killed in downtown Los Angeles hit-and-run

Family calls for justice after motorcyclist killed in downtown Los Angeles hit-and-run Friday, August 14, 2026 7:46PM The mourning family of a motorcyclist is calling for justice after a driver hit him and left him to die on a street in downtown Los Angeles. KABC DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The mourning family of a motorcyclist is calling for justice after a driver hit him and left him to die on a street in downtown Los Angeles.

"I really wished that he had just stopped to check on him and call 911 to help him. This would've been a different situation - maybe Kenli would've still been here," said Lisa Mitchell, the mother of Kenli Black.

Black worked at Brain Health USA, providing mental health care to those in need.

On the night of July 12, he was on his way to provide aid for someone when his motorcycle was swiped near Alameda Street.

"He's taken a valuable person away from the community, from our family."

"He sidewiped my son and just sent him sailing on his motorcycle - and he suffered a really horrible head injury."

After watching over her son for nearly six days in the hospital, Mitchell said her final goodbyes to her only son and made one final heartbreaking decision on July 18.

"The machines were keeping him alive, so I made the decision just to turn it off," she said.

As the only boy out of seven sisters, the 33-year-old held a special place in his mother's heart and now lives on through his art, which Mitchell so proudly displays on the walls in her home.

"He loved to draw pictures on cardboard. He would tear off the ear of a piece of cardboard and then sketch out a picture."

A GoFundMe page has been established to help with funeral and travel expenses for Black's family, who do not live in Los Angeles.

As for the driver who hit and killed Black, the family says he was caught by police and released on bail. Eyewitness News reached out to the Los Angeles District Attorney for comment but has not heard back.

Nothing can bring Black back but they want justice.

"I would like to see this person serve time," his mother said.

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