A father's pride and joy. A lacrosse player who decided he wanted to join the military. A tenacious and driven 26-year-old man who set his mind to something and accomplished it.Those are just some of the ways Troy Williams descr ibed his son, 26-year-old Arthur Williams.Arthur Williams was hit and killed by a driver while riding his bicycle near the end of July in Aurora. Investigators determined the driver did not stop their car and left Arthur Williams there for hours.His father said his son was training for his first triathlon."I was only speculating because of the heat wave. He probably said, 'I'll ride at night. It's cooler, less traffic.' And there you have it," Troy Williams told Denver7. "He just wanted to ride. He just wanted to train. Be in his safe space... and I think he wanted that for others too, to leave and come home safely." Troy Williams told Denver7 he had no expectation that police would identify the driver involved in the hit-and-run crash that killed his son. That changed on Wednesday, when Aurora Police announced an arrest was made.53-year-old Jamie Gardner turned himself into the authorities at the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office on Aug. 18. Gardner is charged with leaving the scene of a deadly crash, a Class 3 felony.He was released on a $50,000 bond, and has a bond appearance court date scheduled for Sept. 8."Now, knowing who the alleged driver is, 53-years-old, does he have kids? Does he have grandkids? And how are they going to handle this? Troy Williams wondered.While speaking with Denver7, Troy Williams said he is working to forgive the driver involved in the crash.In the Lord's prayer, it says, 'Forgive us our debt, as we forgive our debtors.' Arthur had that written on his window in the basement, and it's just confirmation that my son would have forgiven the driver," Troy Williams said. "I want to be clear: we want justice, but I can't hold hatred and anger in my heart. I have to live with the pain, but I'm not going to live in the pain. And if I held that anger, I would be living in that pain for the rest of my life. And there are people who love me that need me."Denver7 obtained the arrest affidavit for Gardner, which estimates the time of the crash was 12:04 a.m. on July 27.That same morning at around 9:30, Aurora Police received a call from a driver who believed they had found a body on the side of S. Powhaton Road, north of E. Jewell Avenue. According to the affidavit, the stretch of road where Arthur Williams was found does not have any street lighting and has small shoulders in both directions."At night, the area is dark, and the location of this collision was just after the crest of a hill in the southbound lanes," the document states.Investigators believe Arthur Williams was hit from behind while on his bicycle, as the rear wheel was crushed. The arrest papers said that after reviewing video of Arthur Williams leaving his home with his bicycle on July 26, it appeared a small red light mounted to his seat post was not turned on.The Aurora Police Detective working the case discovered video of the crash, which showed the passenger headlight of the car went out after the driver hit Arthur Williams. Afterwards, the driver did not stop or deviate from their path.Automatic license plate reader technology, specifically Flock Safety cameras, helped police identify the driver of the car.When investigators went to Gardner's home, he told them the white 2017 Subaru Outlook was being repaired at a body shop in Parker because he "hit a deer.""I heard the reports; they thought he hit a deer. I won't make a comment on that, but I think they left out of fear," Troy Williams said. "The wheels of justice are what they are. I don't know what's going to happen, but there will be justice here or in heaven, and whatever justice God sees I have no control over either one.According to the documents, Gardner told detectives he was coming home from his job at the airport where he is a server and bartender. Gardner said he was "stone sober" driving home that night.On that drive, Gardner said something walked in front of his car and he hit it, but did not stop. He claimed he thought he must have hit a deer since he had hit another deer at the same location in the past.When Gardner was told he hit a cyclist and not a deer, investigators wrote that he "became visibly upset." He told investigators he would have stopped if he knew he had hit a person. It was dark, and Gardner claimed he was worried if he pulled over he would be hit by another driver.Gardner estimated he was traveling at roughly 35 miles per hour at the time of the crash, according to the affidavit.Troy Williams plans to speak with Aurora City Council and see what can be done about that area to improve safety for vulnerable road users. His ideas include expanding the road for bike lanes or adding more lighting to the dark stretch."This is all new to me, so I'm even willing to try to reach out to the oil and gas companies that have stations out there," said Troy Williams. "I have to start somewhere."Denver7 has extensively covered the changes to Colorado law in honor of cyclists and pedestrians who have been killed on the roadways. Eight bills passed into law this year were spearheaded by The White Line, an advocacy organization that was founded after 17-year-old Magnus White was killed while on a training ride in the summer of 2023.As a father, I know what a son means, especially a firstborn son. How instantly it changes you," Magnus White's father, Michael White, said. "Your children become your heroes. You do everything as a father. You sacrifice everything. You would do anything for your children. You you teach them, essentially, to become men. You know, and you see that transformation happen before your eyes, and then instantly it's just gone... That hammer of just, this is forever, and he's not coming back. That's the hardest part."When speaking with Denver7 on Thursday, Michael White learned that Gardner claimed he thought he hit a deer the night Arthur Williams died."If you hit an animal the size of a deer, why wouldn't you stop? There could be damage to your vehicle," Michael White said. It's hard to know what the driver is actually thinking."Michael White said the work done by The White Line is far from over, and they are already planning policy for the next legislative session.One of the sad things we see a lot, and we still see it in our case even, is victim-blaming, and it sometimes gets just really ugly," Michael White said. A lot of things that we see too are thoughts and prayers, and we understand that. But the time to act is now... None of this is about vengeance against a driver who takes a life. It's about accountability, and that's what we're going to continue to focus on for next legislative session."The White Line has published guides to try and help victims' families through the unthinkable process. ...read more read less