This Saturday, if you happen to be driving along Highway 12, don’t be surprised to see a group of motorcycles rumbling south.
They will be on their way from the Old Country Store to the New Hope Community Center. At one point along the way, riders will reach out their arms, palms facing down, in a traditional bikers’ salute to two motorcycle enthusiasts — John Bryant and his 12-year-old son, Kobe Bryant Strickland.
Bryant and Strickland died in a motorcycle accident in December. The father and son were on their way to Caledonia to celebrate an early Christmas when they collided with another vehicle near the Nissan dealership.
Columbus police Capt. Brent Swan told The Dispatch this morning the department has completed its investigation of the accident and would send its findings to a grand jury.
“We’re just going to send them what we have,” Swan said. “If the grand jury finds there was anything wrong, criminal charges could stem from that.”
The motorcycle ride in Bryant and Strickland’s honor Saturday will be just one part of a Bike Run and Benefit, a fundraiser that will raise money to help families pay for remaining funeral expenses, according to Strickland’s cousin, Tracey Styron, who helped organize the event.
The New Hope Community Center will host the benefit, which will last from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m, Styron said. The fundraiser will feature food, children’s activities and vendors selling their wares.
The fundraiser was put together by Styron, Kalisha Napil and Schatzi Whitehead. Napil said there will also be raffles during the benefit.
Meanwhile, riders participating in the bike run will start showing up at the Old Country Store at 9:30 a.m., according to Styron. The bikes will leave the store and begin their procession to the Community Center around 11 a.m. As they pass the site of Bryant and Strickland’s crash, they will hold their arms out in salute to the father and son. The cost to participate in the bike run is $20 per bike.
Styron hopes the benefit will raise enough money to help Strickland’s mother finish paying off funeral expenses. In particular, Styron hopes to purchase a headstone for Strickland, who is buried in the Christian Chapel Church of Christ Cemetery in Millport, Alabama. Funds will also go to Bryant’s family. Napil added that Strickland’s family will need around $700 just for Strickland’s headstone.
Napil said Strickland loved everybody and always went out of his way to help people. She also said that he was a huge fan of LSU football.
“[He] could tell you anything about any of the football players,” she said.
Styron described Strickland as an outgoing boy with a “beautiful smile, big blue eyes.” He loved riding motorcycles with his dad.
“That was a lot of their ‘man time’ together…as Kobe called it,” Styron said.
Dispatch staff reporter Zack Plair contributed to this report.
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