The world of boxing is in deep sorrow following the untimely death of Hannah Rapp, a promising 26-year-old, who tragically lost her life while cycling over the weekend.
Reports from the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office reveal that Rapp was biking with another cyclist—identified by media as her boyfriend—along FM 159 in Texas. As they rode, Charles Medina drove past them at high speed.
The sheriff’s office stated, “After passing the bicyclists, Mr. Medina stopped his vehicle, reversed, and struck one of the cyclists.”
What Happened to Hannah Rapp?
Medina, who now faces manslaughter charges, was allegedly speeding as he overtook the duo around 10 a.m. on July 18. This prompted frustration from Rapp’s boyfriend, who expressed his anger by gesturing and shouting, as noted by Deputy Sheriff Mike Stumpf in a statement to NBC News.
According to Stumpf, “The defendant slammed on his brakes and skidded to a stop before putting his vehicle into reverse.” He further explained that Medina then allegedly “accelerated quickly in reverse, hitting Rapp and knocking her onto the road.”
Rapp struck the car’s rear window before she was thrown backwards, authorities said.
Medina later told investigators that he believed the cyclists were “trying to flag him down” so he stepped on the brakes, per the probable cause statement. He told the sheriff’s office that he didn’t see Rapp “until the last moment before he hit her,” authorities said.
Though he allegedly described driving at 15 mph, investigators noted skid marks at the scene, suggesting that he had been rapidly reversing, according to the court documents.
“The angle of the reverse skid marks,” Stumpf wrote, “appeared as if the defendant was steering towards something while backing up.”
First responders arrived at the scene and found Rapp lying in the roadway, the sheriff’s office said in their statement. Though she was transported to a local hospital, she succumbed to her injuries.
Boxing Community Mourns Hannah Rapp
Rapp had been a rising star in the boxing world. The 26-year-old went undefeated in her first nine professional boxing matches and had five career wins by knockout, WISH TV reports.
Last month, she took on WBC Women’s Featherweight Champion Tiara Brown, losing in the tenth round.
As coach Carl Perry told the outlet, “I think she would have become a hall of famer.”
Perry added that she “had positivity just coming from her,” saying, “If there truly are angels on Earth, she was one of them.”
Though she grew up in Yorktown, Indiana, Rapp later moved to College Station, Texas and trained at Bryan College Station Boxing Gym.
Perry said he broke down and cried after hearing of her death.
“She did not deserve this,” he said, according to WISH TV. “He destroyed a beautiful soul.”
The World Boxing Council also expressed their condolences after Rapp’s death.
“The loss of Hannah Rapp leaves us heartbroken. She was an exceptional boxer, but above all, an invaluable member of our boxing family,” WBC President Mauricio Sulaimán said in statement provided to KHOU. “We join in the grief that overwhelms her loved ones, her team, and all those who had the privilege of knowing and supporting her throughout her brilliant career.”
Medina is currently being held at the Bexar County Jail on a $250,000 bond, according to jail records reviewed by Oxygen. It’s unclear whether he has retained an attorney.