Vigil Held For Teens Killed In Crash After Gwinnett Football Game

NORCROSS, GA – Friends, family and classmates gathered Monday to mourn three teens from Meadowcreek High School who were killed after their SUV flipped while leaving a Gwinnett County high school football game. The crash happened at about 10:16 p.m. Friday in the 4400 block of Steve Reynolds Boulevard near Norcross.

According to Gwinnett County Police, Brandon Martinez, 18, was driving a Toyota 4 Runner south after leaving Meadowcreek High School's football game against Parkview High School. He approached a slower vehicle and, according to witnesses and evidence at the scene, he swerved right to avoid hitting it. When he did, the SUV hit a guard rail and flew into the air, then hit a tree, police said.

Martinez, Nelson Umanzor, 18, and Naseer Alwakeel, 16, were killed in the crash. A fourth passenger, Mesiah Allen, 17, was in critical condition early Saturday at Gwinnett Medical Center in Lawrenceville.

Police spokesman Jacob Albright said officers are investigating Martinez's speed as a possible factor contributing to the crash.

Gwinnett County Schools gave the following statement to WSB, which said, in part: "The students involved in the accident, three seniors and one junior, have been very involved at the school. We know the loss of three of these young, promising lives will be difficult for students and staff, alike. ... In the meantime, our prayers are with all of these students' families and the Meadowcreek community as they deal with this loss."

At a student-organized gathering Monday, hundreds of students met at Meadowcreek’s football stadium to grieve for the victims, reports the Gwinnett Daily Post. Earlier in the day, an overflow crowd attended Alwakeel's funeral service at an Atlanta Mosque to say goodbye.

A GoFundMe site set up by Umanzor's family to help with funeral expenses has raised about $16,000 so far. The site says, "My uncle and family are currently not economically stabled and we would highly appreciate all the little help we can get, every small donation can make a difference. May God bless the Umanzor, Martinez, and Alwakeel family who have lost their loved ones in this tragic situation. LONG LIVE NELSON UMANZOR!!"

An aunt set up a GoFundMe site for the Alwakeel family, which has raised about $25,000 to date. She said of the teen, "I have known this young man for 16 years and even now at this most tumultuous time, when children are finding their way and stepping into adulthood, and sometimes are not their best selves, he was exemplar. We ask Allah SWT to have mercy and forgive him for any indiscretions. We ask Allah SWT for mercy upon our beloved Naseer, his family and the community."

Alwakeel had attended Lilburn Middle School and Meadowcreek High School, in Norcross, where he was a junior. He was part of the track, cross-country and lacrosse teams. The teen worked at Chick-fil-A and was interested in studying engineering, working as an intern at Cisco last summer.

Photos of Nelson Umanzor and Naseer Alwakeel, courtesy of GoFundMe