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'They loved to make people laugh': Community mourns loss of 3 Ladue high schoolers

Hundreds of people showed up Sunday to honor these teens, showing the impact they made on their community.

OLIVETTE, Mo. — Sunday night, the Ladue community gathered in Stacy Park in Olivette to remember three teen boys killed in a car crash Wednesday.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the teen driver was speeding and veered off the road crashing into a home.

Deion Robinson, Johnnie Ursery and Demetrius Ingram were all sophomores at Ladue Horton Watkins High School.

“They changed my life. They were the brothers I always wanted, always. No matter if they looked up to me, I looked up to them too,” friend Mekhi Tucker said.

The car crash happened in University City, killing all three of them and leaving hundreds of people in mourning.

Johnnie's mom, Lynette, spoke directly to the other teens in the crowd, asking them to look out for each other.

“There is no such thing as a snitch," she said. "We need to do away with that. And we need to understand that it is important to drop a tip. If you don't want to tell, tell somebody else that will tell. So that things like this can be avoided and none of us will be grieving."

Demetrius, known to his friends and close family as "Meetch," lived every day to the fullest.

“I want you all to in any way you can live your best life,” Demetrius’ cousin Simone said. "They can live through you. Do this."

Deion’s father, Brandon Robinson, said Deion and Demetrius were always laughing together, and he wants them to be remembered like that.

“That's what brought them together, their sense of humor. It was silly. They loved to make people laugh,” Robinson said. 

Officials from the school wanted students to know the community and counselors are there for them and it’s okay to grieve together and ask for help.

“We are Ladue, each and every day. We are Ladue, and Ladue showed up to honor these three young lives,” Ladue Board of Education President Kisha Lee said.

Credit: KSDK

Together, the community said their goodbyes as they counted up to 15 and let go of green and black balloons as the sun set over Stacy Park.

To help with funeral costs you can donate to Demetrius' family here, Deion's family here and Johnnie's family here.

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