On Memorial Day weekend, 18-year-old Ava Moore was kayaking on Grapevine Lake when a jet ski slammed into her in a reckless hit-and-run. Ava later died from her injuries. The driver didn’t stop. She fled the scene with help from another person, crashing into two cars as they escaped. Both suspects have since been arrested.

Ava wasn’t just a young woman with dreams, she was a soon-to-be Airman, fresh from graduating the U.S. Air Force Academy Preparatory School. She was brave, driven, and ready to serve her country. Now, her family is left with heartbreak and a future stolen by carelessness and cowardice.

Yet the charges filed so far, manslaughter and accident involving injury, do not reflect the weight of this tragedy. We cannot allow reckless killing followed by flight to be treated like a traffic offense. Ava deserves better. Grapevine deserves better. Texas must do better.

We call on the Tarrant County District Attorney and Texas lawmakers to pursue the most serious charges allowed under law, and to push for stronger penalties in future cases involving deadly, reckless conduct on public waterways.

No more soft consequences for those who take lives and run.

This isn’t about politics. It’s about accountability, public safety, and respect for the life of a young woman who gave everything to make her community proud.

Sign to demand justice for Ava Moore.

[Photo Credit: Fox 4]