MILWAUKEE -- It was a violent crash with deadly consequences. A 14-year-old boy lost his life in a crash this past weekend. There were four young boys in the vehicle at the time of the crash -- none of them old enough to drive. Now, we're hearing from one of the boys regarding the moment he realized the worst had happened.
"I was just trying to wake him up," Justin Smith said.
Daquan Nichols
Fighting back tears, Smith on Tuesday, November 24th described the tragic crash that took the life of his friend, 14-year-old Daquan Nichols.
"He wouldn't wake up," Smith said.
The crash happened on Saturday night, November 21st near 69th and Hampton.
"I just felt a bump in the back and we just started spinning," Smith said.
Justin Smith
Smith was a passenger in the black SUV that slammed into a tree.
Police say the vehicle belonged to a family member of the 15-year-old driver.
No one in the SUV was old enough to have a driver's license.
"I just know that we hit something," Smith said.
Loved ones gathered near the scene of the crash on Tuesday evening to honor and remember the young victim.
Vigil for Daquan Nichols
"I miss him. I wish I could be back with him," Capriest Chambliss, Nichols' brother said.
"The hardest part of this situation is letting go," Brittany Nichols, the victim's aunt said.
Family members are trying to understand how a child so full of life could be taken so suddenly.
"It's hard. It's hard," Brittany Nichols said.
"He didn't deserve this, but everything happened for a reason," Chambliss said.
Wreck at 69th & Hampton
The crash has left behind lasting trauma for all involved -- especially the survivors.
"He was a good person," Smith said.
After the crash, police did arrest the 15-year-old driver for operating without a license causing great bodily harm.
He has since been released back into his parents' custody.
This case will be handled in children's court.
Vigil for Daquan Nichols
