A vigil was held Saturday night for three young men killed in a car crash on their way home from football practice.
Trevor Merrit, Nick Williams and Jai’Hyon Elliot died Thursday evening on the way to a birthday celebration for a friend. All went to E.E. Smith High School, where they were on the football team.
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Attendees said the three used to play at a park together long before they were teammates at E.E. Smith.
“It still hurts; we just want to know why, but I know you can’t question God,” said Jamaar Merrit, Trevor’s father. “He was just an all-around good kid. Colleges were starting to look at him. It was going to be his year.”
Few knew the three teens better than their teammates. One of them, Deaunta Rush, spoke for others who were overcome with emotion.
“Trev was going crazy. Nick was going crazy, Jai’hyon was going crazy,” Rush said. “The boys just had so much skill and it was taken from them.”
E.E. Smith will next play at South View on Tuesday night, and that game will start with a pre-game tribute at 5:30 p.m. for the players. “South View stands shoulder to shoulder with E.E. Smith during this time of heartbreak,” said Principal Phyliss Jackson. “This ceremony is not just about football—it is about family, unity, and reminding one another that we are stronger together.”
On Friday, players from Red Springs saluted the trio by carrying jerseys onto the field. The team held a moment of silence during their game against South Columbus.
Police say 21-year-old Dymond Monroe was driving and struck a power pole around 7:22 p.m. Wednesday night on Rosehill Road.
Monroe survived, but she was in critical condition as of Friday morning.
Monroe’s mother said the vehicle was on the way to a birthday dinner for Monroe’s 18-year-old brother, a friend of the three football players.
Since the crash, a memorial has sprung up along Rosehill Road, and a steady stream of friends and family stopped by on Friday to place flowers and grapple with the stunning loss.
“It makes me sick to my stomach because he was just here yesterday,” said Janiya Bishop. “It’s never going to feel the same without him.”