This is my nephew, Eddie Foster, just 32 years old. He was killed June 11, 2023 in a car jacking early on this Sunday morning while delivering packages for Amazon, a job he had moonlighting to further support his family, when a man just 18 years old, accompanied by a young 14 year old girl decided to take his car.
My nephew put up a fight. This car was his livelihood for his family. He had struggled all his life doing odd jobs and drawing SSI, being diagnosed as mentally challengg BB ed which clearly was a misdiagnosis, proven when he walked into the recruiting office for the Navy, tested and passed with high scores then joined up. Surprised everyone in the family and we were all very proud of him. He was in his 3rd year as an Aviation Electrician stationed in San Diego.
He was kind and generous, hard working and held high morals and values. He fostered animals in an emergency, fixed cars for those who couldn’t afford to put their car in a shop and called his mom every day. He didn’t drink or use drugs, he didn’t lie, cheat or steal. He was a wonderful father of four, a husband, son and brother. He was everybody’s friend and he loved life. What were these kids doing out at 5 am, running the streets, under the influence of drugs and alcohol and thinking they could just walk up and take somebody’s car and in this case somebody’s life? Where were their parents?? I’d like to know how they feel about taking a person’s life over a car. This is a different kind of war. Three lives were lost that morning. While my nephew will never call his mom again, this young man and teenage girl will call theirs from behind bars having been charged for murder after they drove my nephew around San Diego on the hood of his car in his attempt to stop them from taking his car.
He was on the phone with 911 and heard begging them to stop when the car suddenly hit cement pillars of the Coronado-San Diego bridge and was thrown into a wall, his body coming to a stop in another lane. His skull was shattered, along with most of the bones in his body, and he was declared brain dead in June 12th, 2023. But his story doesn’t end there. He was also an organ donor and he saved four lives when he lost his, his skin was used for almost a hundred skin graphs for burn victims, and his brain was given to science for a study of head trauma in the military. He is a hero.
A hero who is going to be dearly missed by everyone. This war that took his life wasn’t military but a war none the less. It is a battle we face and the odds are challenging but not impossible to overcome. Eddie’s death has changed our lives and in his family already he has two aunts and a cousin checked into rehab. Yes, the war rages in our family as well and his death, while senseless, is not in vain. I pray for these young kids and I hope they do something with their lives that will honor themselves as well as Eddie in their time behind bars. I want them to know we are angry and our hearts are in pain but they are forgiven. I’d like to ask them to use this tragedy for something positive and and possibly save even more lives by sharing their experience with others. Eddie, we love you. Sleep with the angels.