Mieko King wakes up every morning around the time that her son, Solomon, was pronounced dead after being struck by a hit-and-run driver on Travilah Road.
“I wish I could turn the clock back so I could put him in my arms and never let him go,” King said, crying.
King had raised Solomon after Steven King, Solomon’s father, died when Solomon was four.
“In spite of the fact that he lost his father at age four, he became a caring and optimistic young man,” King said.
“I had a very small dream for him. I wanted to see him grow and I wanted to play with his children someday. But that dream was destroyed four weeks ago.”
Solomon King, a 16 year old junior at Thomas Wootton High School, died at Suburban Hospital Nov. 13 after being hit while walking on Travilah Road with two friends at around 6:30 p.m. the previous evening.
The three were walking eastbound when a westbound vehicle veered off the road, clipped a mailbox and then hit Solomon, grazing one of his friends. Police describe the car as a dark Honda with dark, tinted windows, a 4-door model from 1998-2000. The right-front section of the vehicle may have damage from the collision.
Family and friends of Solomon King held two brief ceremonies Saturday near his North Potomac home, dedicating a local playground in his memory and renewing the community’s call for the hit-and-run driver to come forward.
Shortly after Solomon’s death, members of the Hunting Woods Homeowners’ Association voted unanimously to dedicate the playground at the corner of Nolan Drive and Yearling Drive as the Solomon King Memorial Playground.
“As a young boy [Solomon] spent a lot of time playing on this playground right here. He did what little boys did. He rode his bike on the playground, he played on the swing set, he played on the play set over there,” said friend and neighbor Bobby Kornhauser, presiding over the dedication ceremony.
“On any nice day you will find the playground filled with young children and their parents,” Kornhauser said, emphasizing that the happiness and vitality of the children who use the park echo Solomon’s own good nature.
“Mieko, it is our community’s hope that this living memorial to Solomon will in time help to ease the pain and heartbreak of your unimaginable and tragic loss,” he said.
Following the playground dedication, friends moved to the lot across from the site where Solomon was hit, where they shared remembrances and renewed the call for anyone with information about the accident to come forward and bring closure to the grieving family.
Kornhauser announced that friends and neighbors were offering $5,000 for information leading to the arrest of the hit-and-run driver. The money is in addition to $1,000 already being offered by Crime Solvers of Montgomery County.
Following the announcement, friends and family released yellow and black balloons tied with messages to Solomon.
A classmate sang “That’s What Friends Are For,” and Mieko King, frequently in tears, talked about her painful longing for her son, still, she said, unable to grasp the fact that he is gone.
Several speakers addressed television cameras directly.
“Whoever did this should be punished for it. They have to know what we’re going through, what his mom is going through, to raise her son all by herself and now he’s gone,” said Katie Nguyen, Solomon’s half-sister. “He was a nice boy. He didn’t do anything wrong.”
Tyler Lesser was a close friend of Solomon’s even though Tyler had only known him for about two years.
“Over time I learned that he was loving, he was friendly, he was outgoing, he would do anything for his friends. He was always there for me when I needed him,” Tyler said. “When Solomon left there’s like an empty spot in my heart for him. I just walk by his house and he’s not there. It’s just going to be, it’s a lot harder without him.”
Tyler said that the goal of the event was both to honor Solomon and to find the person responsible.
“Solomon was one of my best friends and nothing that could happen right now … If they catch the person sure that’s good but nothing’s going to replace Solomon,” he said.
County Coucilmembers Steve Silverman (D-At Large) and Phil Andrews (D-3), who represent North Potomac, also spoke.
“Phil and I both have only children, and we can’t imagine what you’ve gone through in the last month. My son is 12 and is clearly the light of our life and to have that snuffed out at such an early age is a tragedy that none of us can really imagine. Our prayers are with you and your family,” Silverman said.
Andrews added his condolences and assured the community that the $10 million addition of sidewalks on Travilah between Route 28 and DuFief Mill Road is moving forward and is expected to be completed the summer of 2007.
Montgomery County Police Chief Tom Manger promised that the police would continue their search for the perpetrator. “This investigation will not end, our work will not cease, until we find the person who was driving the car that night that hit Solomon. I make that commitment to you,” he said.