Duncanville street racing crash kills 3 bystanders, critically injures 12-year-old boy

DUNCANVILLE, Texas - A street racing crash in Duncanville on Monday night left three innocent bystanders dead and a fourth critically injured, according to police.

Duncanville street racing crash kills 3

What we know:

Duncanville police responded to a two-vehicle crash at West Wheatland Road and South Cedar Ridge Drive around 8:45 p.m. Monday. Officers arrived to find one of the cars overturned on the sidewalk.

Firefighters extracted four people from that vehicle, a Toyota Corolla. 

Two female victims, a 50-year-old driver and a 72-year-old passenger, died at the scene. Two boys, both 12-years-old, were rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition, where one later died.  The surviving boy remains in critical but stable condition. 

The 12-year-old who was declared dead was identified as Lucas Reyna, a 6th grader at Village Tech Schools  in Duncanville. 

The 12-year-old, who is in critical, but stable, condition, was later identified as Reyna's cousin and former Village Tech student, Ryan Rodriguez.

Police confirmed the Toyota was occupied by bystanders and was not involved in the street race.

The driver of the other vehicle, a Chrysler 300, was not injured. He was taken into custody and charged with four counts of racing on a highway, a second-degree felony. Additional criminal charges are pending. 

The driver of a second vehicle involved in the race also stopped at the scene. Police arrested that driver and impounded the vehicle.

The suspects were later identified as 20-year-old Kishawn Copeland and 21-year-old Ronnie Coleman.

Honoring the victims

Local perspective:

Flowers were seen placed at the scene of the accident later on Tuesday.

Reyna played baseball for the Duncanville Frogs and has attended Village Tech Schools since Pre-K. His coach, Coach Sandro, said this about Reyna in a Facebook post by the school. 

 "Lucas was the teammate and friend everyone loved. There was always a smile on his face. He was eager to play, learn, and be on the field as an outfielder and at the plate. He made me proud to be his coach. I saw so much growth in him, and his love for baseball and life was contagious. #13 forever a Frog," said Coach Sandro.

Reyna's 6th grade teacher, Ms. Wilbon, stated, "One thing that made Lucas so special to his teachers was that he actually cared how their day was going. Every morning he would greet them with "How are you?" and throughout the day he would check in on them by asking, "How’s your day going?" It was the intent behind him asking that made that question special amongst his teachers. He was the type of student every teacher wants in their class. I don’t think he really knew how those four words made a difference amongst his teachers."

Dig deeper:

Investigators believe the crash was a direct result of the street race. The Toyota was traveling eastbound on West Wheatland Road and turning north onto South Cedar Ridge Drive when it was struck by the westbound Chrysler 300.

The speed limit on the road where the crash occurred is 40 miles per hour.

What they're saying:

"We tried to help and there was nothing we could do."

Miraz Carlos, who works down the street from where the crash occurred, told FOX 4's Steven Dial the crash was a "big impact."

"When I was coming by, everybody was here trying to help," Carlos continued. "Everybody got here late because, eventually, she was gone. He was gone."

Duncanville Police Chief Matthew Stogner said in a press conference on Tuesday that Duncanville PD responded to the crash within 30 seconds.

"Our department is committed to conducting a thorough investigation," Stogner said. "We owe it to the families to hold those accountable."

What we don't know:

Authorities have not yet released the identities of the women who died. The two boys' relationship to the women remains unclear.

Police have not specified what additional charges Coleman and Copeland may face, or how fast they were driving at the time of the crash.

DuncanvilleCrime and Public Safety