Former Baltimore City College lacrosse player who served as airman killed in hit-and-run crash in Virginia

A former Baltimore City College lacrosse player who went on to serve in the U.S. Air Force after graduation died early Monday morning after being struck by a passing vehicle on a Virginia highway, according to police.

Makai Sean Cummings, 20, died on the scene of the hit-and-run crash, Virginia State Police said in a news release. He was found by state police officers, who responded at 2:11 a.m. Monday to Interstate 295 before its exit to Meadowbridge Road, located in a suburb of Richmond, for a report of a person lying in the roadway.

Investigators believe Cummings was struck while changing a tire on the right shoulder, where his car had broken down.

Local authorities are seeking assistance from the public to identify the driver of the vehicle that struck Cummings, asking those who were present on the roadway to email questions@vsp.virginia.gov or call investigators at 804-609-5656.

Cummings played lacrosse for the Knights throughout his high school career, preparing for his fourth year as a starter on defense for City, when the coronavirus pandemic abruptly ended athletic competition.

Knights lacrosse coach Anthony “Merc” Ryan said he heard the news while walking into the building Monday evening for the Baltimore City lacrosse championship game against Baltimore Polytechnic Institute.

Ryan, who runs the local Blax Lax training program, described Cummings as a “very dedicated” team player and an “all-around good kid.”

Mark Miazga, an English teacher who taught Cummings during his senior year at City, said Cummings was a “very lovable” student whom he stayed close with following graduation. He said the senior was a “bit of a class clown” while remaining respectful in the classroom.

“You could tell he was going to be successful in life. He was magnetic,” said Miazga, who coaches City’s baseball team. Miazga and others from the school community enjoyed following Cummings’ journey after high school, as the young man posted on social media about his travels around the world and his military service.

Cummings enlisted in the Air Force in January 2021 and was stationed at the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, North Carolina, starting that July, according to a base spokesperson. He was assigned to the 335th Fighter Generation Squadron, where he was a journeyman working on electronic systems used on F-15 fighter aircraft.

“Makai was a hard worker, dedicated to his craft, his squadron and his teammates,” Col. Lucas Teel, 4th Fighter Wing commander said in a statement, adding “the sense of loss is palpable” in the divisions where he was assigned.