Friends and family are remembering the young man hit and killed by a dump truck while crossing Kennedy Road as a kind-hearted, sweet young man with a future ahead of him.

Connor Rae, 21, was hit in the southbound lanes of Kennedy, just north of Steeles Avenue East, around 6:26 a.m. The southbound dump truck police allege hit him did not remain at the scene, but a suspect was arrested later in the day.

Rae worked as a cashier at Home Depot on First Gulf Boulevard, a block away from where the collision happened. Co-workers have expressed shock at his death.

“I am shocked and saddened to hear that Conner is gone, taken from us in such a horrible way that is almost becoming a pandemic in Brampton,” co-worker Scott Banks wrote on a memorial Facebook page. “He was such a wonderful, funny, insightful, kindhearted young man. He will be missed.”

Rae loved music – particularly rock and heavy metal – and was a writer for The Rock N’ Metal Blog.

The memorial page set up by his friends is headlined: “Conner Rae, a metal angel.”

A Heart Lake Secondary School graduate, he grew up in Brampton and he aspired to expand his love of music and writing and get into podcasting. He was also pursuing a diploma in journalism at Humber College.

A 61-year-old truck driver was arrested six hours later in Markham. Sultan Singh Bhamber has been charged with failing to remain at the scene of an accident causing death.

A Brampton Transit driver rushed to help Rae after he was hit. Rae was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead. Police are looking for witnesses and would not confirm that Rae had just gotten off a transit bus on his way to work.

With files from Louie Rosella