CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Two Texas high school students were killed and two more were injured in a rollover crash Tuesday morning after attending their graduation rehearsal, police said.
The four students were traveling back to Ray High School in Corpus Christi after attending graduation rehearsal at the American Bank Center, about four miles north of the school, according to a Corpus Christi Independent School Districtnews release.
Corpus Christi police Senior Officer Travis Pace said officers were called to the crash around 11:24 a.m. The four males were found in a white, two-door car that was laying on its roof.
Two of the students were pronounced dead at the scene. The two students injured in the crash were taken to a local hospital for injuries Tuesday morning, Pace said.
Pace said that while the incident is still under investigation, officers believe speed was a factor in causing the accident.
The district is not releasing the names of the four students or the conditions of the two injured students “out of respect for the families’ privacy,” the news release stated.
“Our Texan community is devastated by this loss of our graduating seniors,” Ray Principal Roxanne Cuevas said in the news release. “Our hearts go out to all the loved ones affected by this tragedy.”
Superintendent Roland Hernandez shared his condolences to the families of the two seniors.
“We appreciate our community’s prayers for our district during what continues to be an incredibly challenging time for us as well as for educators across the nation,” Hernandez said in the news release.
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The district’s crisis counseling team is providing support to students and staff at Ray High School. Counselors are also available districtwide to help students. A candlelight vigil is scheduled for Thursday night at Heritage Park near the American Bank Center.
Ray’s graduation ceremony is scheduled for 2 p.m., Friday. In keeping with the school district’s tradition of honoring deceased students, chairs will be reserved in the late Texans’ honor, the news release said.
Follow reporter Kailey E. Hunt on Twitter: @KaileyEHunt.