Memorial Ride To Honor Life Of Beloved OKC Chef Killed In Hit-And-Run

Friends will gather together Tuesday afternoon at Stonecloud Brewing Company to honor the life of Chad Epley. The 31-year-old was a chef at Vast in Oklahoma City, but was known by many more. 

Epley was killed in late March after a vehicle hit him while he was riding his bike near Northwest 16th and Classen Avenue, according to police.

The OKC Police Department released surveillance video of the alleged suspect vehicle, but the suspect has not been caught.

Supporters of the memorial ride for Epley hope to bring awareness to cyclist and pedestrians who have been killed in the city.  

Since 2016, at least 78 pedestrians and cyclists have died after being hit by vehicles, according to statistics from the OKC Police Department.

“People like Chad have been dying for years in our city, and we haven't done anything to actually try to make it a safe place for them,” said event organizer Jonathan Dodson.

Dodson added he wants to protect children on their way to school, and those walking to various bus stops.

Dodson said another large population at risk for these collisions are those in the food industry, like Chad.

“There is a whole group of people that work for us and serve us until 2 a.m., but we don't give them a safe way to get home,” said Dodson.

He said a solution could be adding protected bike lanes to city streets.

“Drivers aren't the problem. Cyclists aren't the problem. What we have is a street, and we are going to have to learn how to share that,” Dodson said.

The hope is that streets will be safe for eight and 80-year-olds in the future.

Click here for more details on Tuesday’s memorial ride.