Fayetteville grieves after lethal Rosehill Street crash claims three teenage athletes from E.E. Smith Excessive College
Fayetteville, North Carolina, is reeling after a devastating single-vehicle crash that claimed the lives of three teenage soccer gamers from E.E. Smith Excessive College and left a fourth individual critically injured late Wednesday night time. The tragedy unfolded on October 8, alongside Rosehill Street—a winding stretch of pavement that locals say has taken too many lives earlier than.
Authorities confirmed that the crash occurred simply earlier than 10:50 p.m. within the 2700 block of Rosehill Street, close to Haymount Presbyterian Church and Hood Memorial AME Zion Church. In accordance with Fayetteville Police Division experiences, the automobile—its make and mannequin not but disclosed—veered off the roadway, rolled down an embankment, and collided violently with a tree. All 4 occupants had been both ejected or trapped contained in the wreckage.
Three of the younger males had been pronounced lifeless on the scene. A fourth occupant, believed to be one other scholar, was airlifted to a close-by hospital in vital situation. Police haven’t launched any of their names pending household notifications, however inside hours, the tight-knit group round E.E. Smith Excessive College confirmed what nobody needed to imagine—these had been the Golden Bulls’ personal.
A Group Shattered
By dawn, the environment round Fayetteville had shifted from disbelief to heartbreak. The E.E. Smith campus, recognized for its deep athletic custom and multigenerational alumni satisfaction. Now, the college has turn into the supply of heartbreak, given tonight’s stunning information.
Fayetteville Police confirmed that their Site visitors Unit is investigating however declined to invest on what brought about the automobile to depart the roadway. Climate situations had been clear, and no different automobiles had been concerned. Detectives are exploring all angles, together with velocity, distraction, or potential mechanical points. The division urged anybody with info to contact Crimestoppers at (910) 483-8477.
Street closures stretched in a single day as police reconstructed the scene, shutting down Rosehill Street between Ramsey Road and Nation Membership Drive. The highway reopened early Thursday morning, however the emotional impression will linger far longer.
Echoes of Previous Heartbreak
For Fayetteville, this tragedy reopens outdated wounds. E.E. Smith has endured comparable heartbreak earlier than. In 2005, two of the college’s athletes died in a crash throughout a staff journey to Alabama, a narrative that left a scar nonetheless felt at present. Now, twenty years later, one other era is going through the identical ache.
Rosehill Street, the place Wednesday night time’s accident occurred, has lengthy been recognized amongst locals as harmful. Over the previous 5 years, a number of critical crashes—together with a 2023 head-on collision and a 2022 rollover—have drawn requires higher lighting and security boundaries. Residents have repeatedly warned that the sharp embankments and slender lanes can flip lethal after darkish.
One Fb commenter, reacting to the information, summed it up bluntly: “That highway’s a killer. We’ve begged the town to repair it.”
“Praying for the Households:” Anthony Powell’s Put up
The primary wave of public consciousness didn’t come from official information shops—it got here from a Fb put up. Fayetteville content material creator and E.E. Smith alumnus Anthony Powell, recognized for his motivational content material underneath the #Teambankz model, broke the information round 10–11 p.m. Wednesday night time.
His put up learn:
“Praying for the households of the three soccer gamers from E.E SMITH who misplaced their lives in a automotive crash tonight. #Teambankz #checkonyourpeople #rosehillrd #TrafficAlert #prayers.”
Accompanied by praying palms and coronary heart emojis, the put up shortly unfold by Fayetteville’s social media circles, receiving greater than 500 reactions, 100 feedback, and over 1,200 shares by Thursday morning.
Feedback beneath Powell’s put up mirrored a wave of shock and solidarity. “Lord, cowl these households,” one person wrote. “These boys had been stars on the sector,” stated one other. Many shared photographs of their kids carrying E.E. Smith jerseys, including the hashtag #GoldenBullsForever.
Powell adopted up with an Instagram Story urging his followers to “verify in your individuals” and drive safely, writing, “Rosehill is harmful—please decelerate.”
For an area creator who constructed his platform on positivity and group consciousness, his phrases resonated deeply. In Fayetteville, Powell’s put up grew to become greater than a standing replace—it grew to become the primary public memorial for the fallen athletes.
Social Media Unites in Grief
Throughout platforms, Fayetteville’s digital group became an area of shared mourning in a single day. The tragedy trended regionally on Fb and TikTok, with clips of candlelight vigils, outdated soccer highlights, and emotional staff montages set to gospel instrumentals.
On X (previously Twitter), tributes poured in from native coaches, sports activities networks, and alumni.
Coach Matt Morrow of Charlotte Soccer Insiders wrote:
“Prayers exit to the EE Smith Excessive College Soccer Crew and their households… for the tragic accident the place lives had been misplaced.”
New Life Christian Academy coach Aaron Parker echoed the sentiment, including:
“Prayers to E.E. Smith college students and workers and to the households of the younger males.”
Native information shops joined in, with ABC11 and CBS17 confirming the three fatalities and one vital damage. ABC11’s put up linking its article drew a whole bunch of replies and quote tweets from throughout the state, many merely studying, “Prayers for Fayetteville.”
In the meantime, TikTok customers underneath the #FayettevilleNC and #GoldenBullsRIP tags shared tribute clips set to Rod Wave’s “Coronary heart on Ice” and Lil Durk’s “The Voice.” Most started with the identical line: “No dad or mum ought to ever must bury their little one.”
“We’re a Household:” E.E. Smith Rallies Collectively
At E.E. Smith Excessive College, lessons are scheduled to proceed, just below a heavy cloud on Thursday. Directors are prone to arrange grief counselors for college kids and workers. In the meantime, the soccer staff’s coaches are anticipated to privately meet with gamers to course of the loss.
The college’s athletic division is predicted to launch an official assertion as soon as households approve the victims’ identities for public launch. Plans for a memorial service or vigil are already in movement, with a number of group church buildings providing to host.
Native companies, together with Fayetteville’s common spots like Larry’s Southern Kitchen and Golden Bulls Grill, have posted tributes and pledged donations towards funeral prices as soon as official fundraisers launch.
The Investigation Continues
As of Thursday morning, police had not confirmed the reason for the crash. No climate or mechanical points have been recognized, however Rosehill Street’s steep slope and sharp embankments stay underneath scrutiny. Additionally, it was a single-vehicle crash.
Site visitors investigators had been seen mapping the crash web site and accumulating particles markers by early morning hours. The Fayetteville Police Division’s assertion, shared at 1:00 a.m. on Fb, learn merely:
“Rosehill Street stays closed on account of a deadly crash investigation. Please hold the affected households in your prayers.”
Metropolis officers say security enhancements to Rosehill have been mentioned prior to now, however funding delays stalled progress. Now, group leaders are demanding change. “If it takes the lives of three younger males to repair this highway, it’s already too late,” wrote one resident underneath the town’s Fb replace.
From Tragedy to Unity
What started as a tragedy is shortly reworking right into a second of unity. The outpouring of affection in Fayetteville—throughout social media, church buildings, and faculty grounds—reveals a metropolis coming collectively to carry its youth shut.
At E.E. Smith, the place generations have walked the identical halls because the college’s founding in 1927, the ache runs deep. However so does the satisfaction.
One alum’s touch upon Anthony Powell’s put up captured it greatest:
“Golden Bulls ceaselessly. We cry collectively, we heal collectively, and we rise collectively.”
Because the Fayetteville Police Division continues its investigation, the group’s focus has shifted from why it occurred to how they’ll bear in mind these misplaced.
For now, Rosehill Street stands quiet—a stretch of asphalt marked by tragedy, but additionally by the energy of a metropolis refusing to overlook its sons.
