Local vigils planned for boxer Hannah Rapp after her death
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Friends and family of rising boxing star Hannah Rapp will host candlelight vigils Wednesday as part of a national movement to honor her life and memory.
Rapp, the 26-year-old Yorktown native and WBC women's featherweight boxer, died on Saturday after being hit by a car while riding her bicycle in Brazos County, Texas, in an apparent road rage incident.
The Brazos County sheriff's office said in a statement that 31-year-old Charles Medina had passed two cyclists Saturday morning before stopping his vehicle, shifting into reverse, and striking one of the riders, identified as Rapp. Medina has since been arrested and charged with manslaughter.
Connor Mitton, owner and coach of Dark Side Boxing Club at 1433 E. Dollar Ct. in Brookston, said his club will host a candlelight vigil to honor Rapp, a former member of the club, to coincide with a vigil at her boxing gym in Bryan, Texas, and in her hometown of Yorktown, Indiana, held in Morrow Meadows at the Pavillion.
The vigils will start at 8:30 p.m., Mitton said, with candle lighting to begin at 9:30 p.m.
Rapp moved to College Station, Texas, in 2024 after graduating from Purdue University, where she competed as a track sprinter. While attending Purdue, Rapp became a regular at Mitton's Dark Side Boxing Club.
Mitton said Rapp attended the local club for two years, initially coming in about three times per week between classes. But by her second year, Mitton said her amateur boxing career began to progress, bringing her into the club five days a week.
"She was an amazing person, so kind, funny, very upbeat — a coach's perfect athlete," Mitton said. "Always in the gym, always trying to perfect her craft. Anytime I compare her mentality to the sport, I have to compare her to Kobe (Bryant). Such a bright light with a bright future ahead of her and taken too soon."
A petition through Change.org started by Rapp's mother, Angie Grimes, began gathering signatures on Monday for support of "Hannah's Law," which would require courts to consider a defendant's documented history of violent offenses and previous convictions before allowing an offender's release.
Medina's arrest history before Saturday's incident spanned over a decade, according to documents obtained by ESPN, including reckless driving and evading arrest. Medina pleaded guilty to those charges in 2012. He was arrested again for reckless driving in 2014 and in 2020 for his involvement in a hit-and-run.
Jillian Ellison is a reporter for the Journal & Courier. She can be reached via email at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Local vigils planned for boxer Hannah Rapp after her death