I received the dreadful call at 3:00 a.m. in the morning while I was on my job. Ms. Elliott, are you Cleveland Deshon Elliott's mother? Please come to the hospital, your son is in critical condition...

On April 17, 2019,  my 24 year old son was  killed by a hit and run driver in Round Rock Texas. Cleveland Deshon Elliott was walking to a neighborhood convenient store where he had formerly worked, and occasionally walked to. On the early morning of April 17, he was struck by a driver who fled the scene at 500 Gattis school near Success high School. When I was able to check the area, there were tire marks in various ways, as if though my son had been chased.

My son was taken to Round Rock St David's hospital where he lived two hours and six minutes later before he died from blunt force trauma. My family and I were devastated as we sat in the emergency room praying and waiting, only to be told that he didn't make it. We were not actually told with words from hospital staff, but by the behavior of the doctor and his assistant just coming out of a (five or six police officer's) guarded emergency room door and standing silently, said a great deal.

A police officer had told me when I had arrived that my child's ribs had been crushed, yet the doctor never said anything, he nor his assistant... that silence said everything.

Despair rushed in as I stood pleading with the doctor to go back and try again, but he never spoke a word.  I am to this day in disbelief that we won't see Deshon anymore. Cleveland was known by some as (C.J), while his immediate family called him Deshon. My heart is overwhelmed of the fact that someone could use their vehicle to kill a human being, and the driver leaving my son to die is unbelievable, but even more haunting is that we, the family were not able to see Deshon one last time in his most natural state. Although we were told by an officer that his ribcage had been crushed, we were not given the option to at least pray over him in our grief, to identify that it was Deshon, and that he had actually passed away, or to say goodbye to him, we did not  believe it (tears).

We were told that we couldn't see him, by police officer, but the lack of the doctor responding said the same, and with a certain look that said "there's more" but the doctor nor his assistant ever spoke a word to us. While police officers stated that it was for evidence purposes, my child's body was within hours taken to a coroner's to be cut open for an autopsy. This hurt so bad. Up on speaking over the phone with the coroner who was the one and only available person who performed an (unauthorized by family autopsy, but by a Williamson county JP) told me that my son's body was still warm when he'd arrived for the autopsy. To me, this meant that my son was possibly still alive when we were at Round Rock St David's hospital. It wasn't until eight days later that we were able to see my baby boy, when preparing to lay him to rest.

We want to honor Deshon by asking that laws be changed to honor immediate families over the death of their loved one when they pass away in a hospital setting in the name of C.J.  We pray that our son would be honored where these things that happened to him in his innocence did not honor his precious life.. We are asking that tougher laws be enacted against hit and run drivers, to be observed as more than an accident when the driver flees.

Deshon had a strong desire to live, and he fought hard for his life. Deshon was said to have expired at 3:56 am.

Seeking to have law changed for the sake of transparency in police departments, hospitals, and overall counties is one of the only things that we can do for him now, so that his name will live on, and because of the impact that his innocent life having been taken can make to protect other families who may suffer this unfortunate type of crime and tragedy.

Although there is a CCTV camera in the crosswalk of Success High school area where Deshon was struck, there's been no footage to show what occurred. We believe that if a hit and run driver is aware that penalties for this type of crime is more severe, to be considered as not just an accident when they leave the scene, but is in fact an act of reckless homicide...such that a person who would normally commit the act, would at least THINK about the consequences, and render aide, the possibility of hit and run drivers might even decrease, if not end.

This tragic event occurred in a 35 mph speed zone, but the driver was obviously moving at a rate of double the speed limit and did not turn themselves in. It wasn't until five months later that the alleged car was found in another state, which led to an arrest. This waiting period was just another part of our suffering the loss of Deshon.

We pray that the Lord will open your hearts to understand how deep our grief is, and  please help push for this law to be passed for our family in honor of CJ, and to also help other families who would be victims, receive justice going forward.

Thank you Sincerely,

Cynthia Elliott and family