DAVIDSON, N.C. — A community is in mourning after a 16-year-old boy died in a crash over the weekend in Davidson.
Channel 9’s Evan Donovan spoke with dozens of kids who showed up to a growing memorial that’s paying tribute in this tragedy. There have been a lot of tears, but also a lot of laughs.
Friends told Channel 9 that Eamon Leary was on the JV soccer team at Hough High School this year, and he loved to play golf. Some golf equipment was brought to the memorial.
One girl said she brought a big loaf of bread to the memorial, because Eamon loved big peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Eamon’s mother didn’t want to speak on camera, but she said Eamon loved his grandfather, Fitzy, who was his role model.
Two of Eamon’s classmates told Channel 9 what they’ll miss the most about him.
“Probably his jokes. He would never really actually mean for it to be a joke, but everything he said was so funny it would make everyone laugh, kinda like brought the mood up,” said Stanly Starnes. “When everyone’s down and sad, he’d say something completely out of pocket and make everyone light up with joy and happiness.”
“Just going through pictures of him now, remembering all of these moments,” said Colin Russell. “From the first moment we met, it just clicked instantly; just became best friends, and it sucks that we lost him.”
Channel 9 learned that there were five or six kids in the pickup truck that Eamon was in when it went off the road and crashed into some trees. Eamon was in the truck bed.
The driver of the truck, 16-year-old Tristan Lehman, now faces several serious charges, including felony death by vehicle and driving while impaired, according to court records obtained by Channel 9.
©2026 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH3JSJEF3VBLRJLJQESEAG34AM.png)
