Family of man killed in Fresno hit-and-run crash wants to keep his memory alive

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- At his barbershop in Clovis, Prince Fields cuts hair for his customers.

But not a day goes by where he doesn't think about his brother, Bryant Fields.

"I just can't believe that it happened," said Prince. "Every day that goes by, it's just hard to not think about him."

Last Thursday, the 38-year-old was struck and killed on Chestnut near Clinton Avenue in East Central Fresno.

A memorial is now at the site of the crash.

Earlier this week, Fresno police arrested 23-year-old Miguel Ortiz Montilla.

Police said Montilla ran over Fields, made a U-turn, drove past the accident and then took off.

"How can you hit a human being and comeback, and witness what you did and then leave," said Prince. "Then on top of that, not even turn yourself in?"

Police said Montilla is charged with hit-and-run involving death.

He was released on bond Tuesday night.

It's not the first time a Central Valley family has endured this type of heartbreak.

In 2019, Assemblymember Jim Patterson introduced Gavin's Law, named after Clovis Unified Vice Principal Gavin Gladding, who was killed in a hit-and-run crash six years ago.

In Gavin's case, the driver was believed to have been drinking but didn't turn himself in until days later.

He served just 13 months of his 3 year sentence.

Gavin's Law would have increased the maximum prison sentence from four to six years for drivers who run from the scene of a deadly crash.

Assemblymember Patterson spoke to a committee about the bill back in 2020.

"There is a perverse incentive that if you hit, leave, and stay away, you're going to spend less time than if you stayed and you were a human being at the scene," said Patterson four years ago.

Action News also reached out to Rita Gladding, the mother of Gavin, she said it's still unconscionable that this is still happening.

She adds she doesn't understand how anyone can walk away from an accident without stopping to see what they had done to another person.

But the deadline to re-introduce Gavin's Law into the State Assembly has already passed in this legislative session.

"I can't get my brother back, my mom can't get her son back," said Prince. "His three sons that he has, they won't get the opportunity to talk to him again."

Prince's focus now is to keep his brother's memory alive, especially for his nephews.

"They've asked me questions," said Prince. "How he was and his personality and things we used to do."

The family has created a GoFundMe page to help cover funeral expenses.

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