Friends, coworkers search for answers after Denver man killed in hit-and-run
A year after a Denver man died in a hit-and-run, his friends and co-workers are still searching for answers.
With signs down the block, memories of Nick Cordova are all around Blue Pan Pizza. General Manager Sara Walter has photos of Cordova around the restaurant.
"He was an amazing person, and so thoughtful, so funny, so talented," Walter said, "He loved that scooter, you know, zipping around town."
Cordova was struck and killed on his way home from work in Denver's Highlands neighborhood in November 2023. Now friends and coworkers hope that sharing his memory will help in their search for closure.
"Someone did this, someone knows that they did this, and are choosing not to own up to it. We just want answers," Walter said.
Walter last saw Cordova more than a year ago. After he didn't show up for a shift last November, staff started making calls and visited his home.
"He wasn't there. It was very clear that no one had let his dog out, and that was the point where we knew something was very wrong," Walter said.
Authorities believe the car that hit Cordova while riding his scooter was a white Chevy Trailblazer, but they have not yet identified the driver. Walter expressed dismay at the lack of answers.
"This is a person, and that's crazy that there's been no traction," Walter said.
His friends and coworkers are working to keep Cordova's memory alive. A memorial now stands on the corner of Speer Blvd. and Grove St., the location where Cordova was fatally struck.
"Keeping his name out here in the news," Walter said, "While it is incredibly, incredibly painful to have to remember how we lost him. We owe it to him."
Meanwhile, staff at Blue Pan Pizza continue to call on the public for help. "Think about if it was someone close to you. What would you want? And what we want is justice for Nick," Walter said.
