GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Two Dacula High School students are dead following a car crash on the way to school Friday, according to Gwinnett County Police.
Authorities say Jared Brown, 17, made a left turn on Highway 316 onto Harbins Road at around 7 a.m., but he turned into the path of an oncoming vehicle. Jared died shortly after the crash. Borwn's brother, 15-year-old Jaison, was the passenger in the vehicle and passed away Friday evening, according to Gwinnett police.
The Gwinnett County Medical Examiner’s Office also confirmed Jaison Brown’s death.
“He was pronounced brain dead on Friday at 8:20 p.m.,” chief forensic investigator Ted Bailey told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The family spokesman has also released the following statement:
The 44-year-old driver of the other vehicle was injured but is expected to recover.
Jared Brown is being remembered by friends as a standout student athlete who had a promising future. He excelled in football and enjoyed being a member of several student groups, according to his friends.
"He was honest and always there when you needed him," said Oscar Moncada, one of Brown's friends. "He was going to go far in life, I knew that."
Students say the mood was somber on campus when Jared Brown's death was announced over the intercom.
"When I walked into the building, I just heard people crying," said Teddy Olson, another one of Brown's friends. "People were talking to counselors in different rooms."
The crash is the second deadly tragedy at Dacula High School within the past nine days. Last week, the principal said a 17-year-old girl deliberately hurt herself at the gym. Channel 2 Action News learned the teenager fell from the second story of the gym.
A Friday night football game was postponed until Saturday in response to Jared Brown's death.
Several students gathered at the football field to hold a vigil for Brown.
"I feel like I'm going to see him on Monday, like everything is going to be normal, but when he's not here it's really going to hit me hard," Jerry Villanueva said.
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