YORKTOWN, Va. — A Yorktown community is in mourning after three 16-year-olds were killed in a car accident, Saturday night.
The boys had just left the homecoming dance at Tabb High School when their car crashed off of Yorktown Road and crashed into trees, flipping over. No one survived.
About a quarter of a mile from the crash site lies Bethel Baptist Church.
Doug Echols is a Senior Pastor and he said he got a call Saturday night that about 100 people gathered in the parking lot.
“It was just a time of sadness really,” said Echols. “The people were just kind of stunned. People were just very stunned, shocked obviously and just weeping. It was really sad.”
Parent Nakeya Green said her son knew all three victims. She said he played basketball and football with two of them.
“As a parent you're torn because you're trying to be there for your child,” said Green “At the same breath, you cannot fathom you getting the call.”
Green said her son described the victims as “competitive, friendly, outgoing, jokesters and respectful.”
"But the one that gets me every time is when your child or your son thinks of someone higher than themselves and says they were even better than me," said Green. "That gets me every time because that says a lot while saying very little and your heartaches even more."
In a statement to 13News Now, spokesperson Katherine Goff for Yorktown County School Division said:
We have counselors and resources at Tabb High along with other schools, recognizing that our community is very close-knit and we have students and staff in other schools who are also grieving. We will continue to provide that support as long as necessary. Tabb High students organized a gathering in the gym before school this morning, we had staff on hand to supervise.
Echols described the community as tight-knit and said they are just trying to heal.
“I’ve never seen it like this here,” said Echols. “Tabb community is a very close-knit community and I've lived here for nine years and I have seen this community just in the last 48 hours, just coming together to support this family to support the school.”