DALLAS —The family of Jacoby Stoneking is looking for closure after the 24-year-old was killed over the weekend while riding a Lime rental scooter home from work.
Stoneking’s body was found off Munger and Terry near Interstate 30 at about 4 a.m. Saturday morning.
Dallas police says Stoneking contacted a witness, stating he had just fallen off a rental scooter and requested them to order him a Lyft.
But by the time that driver showed up, investigators say that Stoneking was unresponsive so 911 was called and he was rushed to the hospital.
Police say that Stoneking’s hands and legs were battered and bruised. They also recovered a Lime rental scooter about 500 feet away from his body that was broken in half.
He died Sunday at about noon, due to the swelling of his brain per family members. Those same family members say that while Stoneking is dead, from the neck down his body is being kept alive via a breathing machine so his organs can be preserved for a potential transplant recipient.
DPD is now trying to piece together what happened, as family members prepare for Stoneking’s funeral.
According to family, Stoneking often rides a rental scooter home from ZRG restaurant, where he works as a cook.
Family members told WFAA that Stoneking got off work at about 2:45 a.m. Saturday morning.
Chris Phillips, Stoneking’s half-brother, told WFAA that the injuries Stoneking sustained don’t add up to a tumble you might take on a rental scooter.
He added that there were bruises along the back of his brother’s knees.
“His injuries on certain parts of his body [don't] tell me that he just fell,” Phillips said.
Phillips thinks that his brother may have been hit by a car that left the scene. “I don’t want to think that, but the evidence suggests otherwise,” Phillips said.
Yet, investigators said that no other vehicle debris was found near Stoneking’s body. Phillips said the entire situation is eating at him on the inside.
“I just wish I knew already, to be able to say this is what happened definitively,” Phillips said.
Stoneking, often referred to as ‘Coby’ by many of his family, was a calm and caring person according to this brother.
Phillips said that he owned several reptiles and had a soft spot for animals.
“He was someone you could lean on, and someone you could rely on if you were having trouble,” Phillips said.
“This is the most significant death in my life that I’ve had to deal with.”
As police investigate, a Lime spokesperson told WFAA that, “We are deeply saddened to hear the report of this incident in Dallas. Our thoughts and sympathies are with the family and loved ones. We are awaiting the results of the investigation, and we will cooperate fully with the authorities.”
Stoneking’s family is raising money to pay for funeral services—if you’d like to help them you can donate by going here.