Family remembers killed motorcyclist, one of four Austin traffic fatalities in two weeks

Austin police report Devin Graves, who was killed in a motorcycle crash on Mopac on May 26, is one of four people who died in four different traffic fatalities in the last two weeks.

AUSTIN, Texas - Family members are remembering a motorcyclist who died last weekend. The Austin Police Department reports Devin Graves is one of four people who died in four different traffic fatalities in the past two weeks.

Family members of Graves said they lost him too soon.

"The last message that I got from him is ‘things are really going to take off, watch me,’ and I was like, oh my God, that was so Devin," Graves' cousin Erica Carter said. "He was just that kind of guy like he would make a goal, and he would do it."

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The man said if the trooper didn't tell him to get out of the way, the car involved in the chase would have crashed into him.

On May 25, just before 3:00 p.m., Graves died in a motorcycle crash. Investigators said he was traveling south on Mopac when he lost control and crashed into the outside guardrail. He died at the scene.

"Everybody just gravitated towards him, and he was just one of those people in life that just had a beautiful soul," Carter said.

Graves was from Sioux City, Iowa, and had just recently moved to Austin to pursue other passions after being an electrician for many years.

"Going from an electrician to a comedian, you're like, well, that's kind of an extreme opposite, but I mean, he was just really open, and he was really, just broad and how he looked at life and how he looked at everything," Carter said.

Graves leaves behind two children.

"I have to say that the kids have really been amazing through this too," Carter said. "Which is kind of a testament to how they were raised, and just the spirit that they got from their dad."

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Police say it started when they spotted someone checking car door handles in Downtown Austin.

Three other traffic fatalities happened over the past two weeks in Austin.

On May 20, at around 3:30 a.m., an unidentified man was hit and killed by a car on I-35 in South Austin.

On May 26, just before 1:00 a.m., another unidentified person was hit and killed by a Sedan on Ben White Boulevard in South Austin. About an hour and half later, investigators said a motorcyclist lost control and crashed into the inside guardrail on Research Boulevard in North Austin. The unidentified person was taken to the hospital and died.

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This time last year, APD reported more than 45 fatal crashes.

"The biggest thing is just be vigilant and be careful and, you know, just be safe," Carter said.

If you have information to help in these investigations, call APD’s vehicular homicide unit at 512-974-8111. You may submit your tip anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or calling 512-472-8477.

Austin Crime and Public Safety