BILLINGS — Sunday evening, dozens gathered to honor 28-year-old Julian Wolf, who was killed on Sept. 9 after being struck by a suspect fleeing from Yellowstone County sheriff's deputies.
Wolf was traveling on Fourth Avenue North near downtown, when the suspect, Jimmy Joe Flanagan, 42, ran a stop sign on North 20th Street and collided with Wolf. Flanagan pleaded not guilty to seven felony offenses, including vehicular homicide while under the influence. Yellowstone County District Court Judge Jessica Fehr set bond at $1 million for Flanagan.
Nearly two weeks after his death, Wolf's brother, Zane McCracken, 18, is left to pick up the pieces and support his family.
“He was the breadwinner of the family. And now I'm having to pick up my plate along with, you know, a bunch of different other things to just try and keep the family rolling and be financially stable,” McCracken said recently. “He wasn't just a brother to me, he was a friend as well.”
McCracken has a GoFundMe set up to cover the costs of the funeral, which was held on Saturday, and other family finances.
"It's just hard times right now, like I said, you know, like (Monday) night, groceries, not cheap, all those things, not cheap," McCracken said.
On Tuesday, McCracken went back to work at the Domino's on Broadwater. Its a place filled with reminders of his brother, who was the general manager of the store. Now, a memorial is set up in the corner of the pizza shop to honor Wolf.
“It just brings back a lot of memories,” McCracken said. “The only reason why I came back is that I knew I would have to get things organized once again to be in Julian's way. You know, I don't want Julian's store to be falling down this quick after his passing.”
Wolf played a role in the car community in town, making an impact on many.
“We're tired of losing friends, you know, we're tired of losing people that we enjoy living life with. Too many taken way too soon,” Rocky Stone, one of Wolf's friends, said on Sunday before the memorial ride. “We came together to like show our respect, show our love, show our concern for not just him (Wolf) but his family.”
Those who attended the memorial ride drove from the Kohl's parking lot to Wolf's memorial at Fourth Avenue North and North 20th Street, then back to the Domino's in Shiloh Crossing for pizza.
"He touched a lot of our lives in the car community and just in life life in general. He was a good friend, good person to be around," Stone said.
