Fatal hit-and-run victim Dominic Dunn honored at new skate park in Northville

Memory of hit-and-run victim Dominic Duhn honored with skate park by family

Dominic Duhn was killed four years ago in a hit-and-run on Sheldon Road while riding a skateboard. The ribbon cutting for the new skatepark dedicated to his memory, is set for noon Saturday.

NORTHVILLE TWP., Mich. (FOX 2) - A family is turning their tragedy into a skate park in Northville to honor their beloved son - gone too soon.

Dominic Duhn was killed four years ago in a hit-and-run on Sheldon Road while riding a skateboard. The ribbon cutting for the new skate park dedicated to his memory, is set for noon Saturday.

"As you can imagine That’s a parent’s worst nightmare," said Gabriella Duhn, his mother. "This was so tragic - everything that happened, it was so horrible that we just wanted to make something positive out of it and I think we did it."

Dominic’s mom, his family and friends have done that. Unity Skate Park in Millennium Park in Northville, is the result

"We’re going to totally have a great day because I know he is going to be here," Gabriella said. "I know his spirit is always with us."

Dominic’s mom wants people to feel uplifted and motivated with positive energy when they come not just for Saturday's celebration, but anytime there - because that’s what Dominick was all about.

"He was known for having a wide range of friends and always somehow being able to bring them together," she said. "He was just a character. Everyone loved being around him. He was the type of kid that walked in a room and had that energy - people were just drawn to him."

Dominic Duhn

"My brother was my biggest role model, he was two years older than me," said Enzo Duhn. "Any trend or anything new, I would learn from him and I’d just follow his lead."

Dominick’s younger brother Enzo along with their friends, really pushed for the park

"This park is not intimidating at all," he said. "So If you want to pick up skateboarding, this is the park to come to. If you want to try new things, and you are a seasoned skateboarder, you can also come here and do that as well."

The arch over the park's entrance has what looks like a pair of tennis shoes built into the sign.

"We all decided to throw our shoes over the telephone poll where he was killed a couple weeks after," Enzo said. "We were like, this is a special moment, we had (with) all of his friends and me together. We decided to get them back and they were hanging on our back porch for the longest time and my mom had the good idea to bury them in the park. It's a little memento in the park knowing that we did that."

"Looking down from up above I think he would just be filled with joy and be happy his life was able to bring something great."