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SANDY — Friends and family honored the life of 16-year-old Kian Hamilton Sunday.
Police say the sophomore at Jordan High School died Friday night after he was stabbed in the Mountain American Expo Center parking lot. His family, friends, their parents, teachers and coaches filled the school parking lot for a candlelight vigil Sunday night.
They remembered Hamilton as a goofy kid with an infectious smile, and strong work ethic on the baseball field.
"Super passionate about the game and about how he played the game," said teammate Noah Gatti. "If he was struggling or something, he'd go work hard at it until he got it right. And, I think that's something we could all take away from Kian."
'A hard-working kid'
Head baseball coach Chad Fife said Hamilton took instruction on the field well. He said Hamilton was a hard-working kid.
"He's one that would come early and stay late and ask me and the other coaches, 'Hey, what can I do to get better,?' and he would flat out work on it," Fife said. "And probably the best part for him is he worked hard in the building which is what we push here. Grades before play."
Hundreds of people circled around Hamilton's family members. They held each other as people sobbed and shared stories of this young man.
"He's a baseball for life kid, and he was really good at it, but I was shocked to see, I mean, we're seeing kids from all of our surrounding high schools, and if you're in the baseball world, we're really all big family," Fife said. "We've had a lot of condolences, well-wishes from every high school in the state, I've had a lot of them contact me."
Teammates are hurting
His teammates spent all summer practicing baseball with him. Fife said the young men are upset.
"It's just hard knowing how, how it happened, that he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and something bad happened," Gatti said.
Gatti said his team is taking some time off from practice this week to be together and heal.
"We're probably not going to touch a baseball or bat or glove," Gatti said. "It's just kind of about being together and, making sure we're here for each other."
Gatti said he hopes Hamilton's family knows they can rely on the community for support.
The investigation into the stabbing is ongoing. Sandy police said a suspect was taken into custody. That person is also a minor so their identity has not been released.
A GoFundMe* for the family is accepting donations online.
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
