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Family And Friends Remember Slain Cyclist In SF

Posted: 10:33 pm PDT September 30, 2008Updated: 1:50 pm PDT October 1, 2008

As many as 200 people rode bicycles to San Francisco's Ocean Beach Tuesday night to pay their respects to a young man who was shot and killed while riding his own bike home late one night this month.

Friends and family remembered the young man who lost his life as a vibrant individual who loved music, travel and bicycling. A sizeable crowd gathered for the memorial ride and vigil that stopped where the 23-year old UC Santa Cruz graduate's life was cut short while riding home through San Francisco's Richmond District.

McKay was riding his bike home near Cabrillo and 15th Avenue when he was shot and killed early on September 17th. McKay staggered to several neighborhood doors calling for help before he collapsed and died in a doorway.

His family says police told them they don't have any solid leads and it's not clear what led up the shooting.

"They were realistic with us and said this is a hard one, because there was no real connection," explained his sister Dana Landis. "This was a young, gentle, smart guy on a bike that was unarmed and had taken bike safety and who understood the roads and was respectful of cars."

Tuesday evening, bicyclists gathered at the Golden Gate Panhandle and then rode McKay's route home to the crime scene. Police on motorcycle escorted the cyclists as they rode silently through the darkness their small headlights flickering in the night.

At 15th and Cabrillo, they gathered for a candlelight vigil near the very spot where the young man died.

McKay's girlfriend Elisa Litsky says he was enjoying a new career in film production and hoped to one day make his own movie.

"He was a really, really driven man and he worked hard for the goals that he had in his life," said Litsky. "I miss him a lot. We all do. If love could bring someone back it would have brought Jordan back a long time ago.

The killing has upset neighbors who feel their sense of security has been shattered.

"Some years ago we used to have project safe block clubs. When something like this happened in a neighborhood, the neighbors would get together at someone's house and the police would come and help us organize," said local resident Stephanie Lyons.

There will be a community meeting tomorrow night at the Richmond District police station. Residents who attend can learn more about neighborhood safety and how to prevent another senseless killing.

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