Skateboarders Dad Says Charges Against The Driver A Relief

The father of skateboarder Ryan Barron is relieved Vancouver Police have laid charges in his son's death.

Barron was killed on a Vancouver street by a hit and run driver in April 2016 and police have now laid charges.

Vancouver resident, 23-year-old Amanpreet Sohal, faces charges of failing to stop at an accident causing bodily harm and dangerous driving causing death.

Ryan's father Terry Barron was informed of the charges Thursday night.

He says his immediate reaction was relief, but he's never stopped thinking about what happened.

"You think about it a little bit every day.  As you go throughout your day there's always little reminders and stuff like that and you just try to deal with them the best you can."

Barron says it's good knowing someone will be held accountable.

"This certainly gives you a little sense of relief and kind of, I don't know if closure is the right word, but it is certainly a light at the end of the tunnel of all this you know."

He says the charges are good, but Ryan is still gone.

"Certainly that is, you know it's not going to bring Ryan back, but even in the end, I mean the person has been driving around the streets of Vancouver the last two and a half years feeling as if they got away with this."

Friend and skateboard community orgnaizer Rob Bondy says there's relief knowing someone has been charged in Ryan's death.

"Getting rid of that spectre of never knowing who did this and that person never being held accountable in any way.  Removing that definitely feels good and, I mean, that's on my part just knowing Ryan through the skateboard community I can only imagine that's an even more intense feeling for the family."

Terry Barron says he will be in Vancouver for some part of the court proceedings, whether it's the trial or the sentencing.

The 'Barron Bowl' at Atkinson Skate Park in Windsor will act as a memorial to Ryan Barron.