Three North Texas members of Southern University's marching band, known as the Human Jukebox, were killed in a crash with an 18-wheeler, a university spokesperson confirmed Wednesday.
Louisiana State Police Master Trooper Casey Wallace told news outlets the two-vehicle crash happened Tuesday night in the Natchitoches area and confirmed three people died in the collision. State police identified the victims Wednesday as 19-year-old Broderick Moore, of Cedar Hill; 19-year-old Tyran Williams, of Dallas; and 21-year-old Dylan Young, of Dallas.
Two of the students were tuba players, the other was a percussionist, Southern University's Director of Bands Kedric Taylor said.
The Natchitoches Parish Sheriff's Office described the collision as a "major crash." It happened around 7:40 p.m. on I-49 northbound near Powhatan, a village in the parish, the sheriff's office said.
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State police said the students were in a Jeep that was stalled on the interstate's northbound shoulder. They were attempting to change a flat tire when the tractor-trailer drifted onto the shoulder and hit the Jeep's left side. The three victims were pronounced dead at the scene.
The truck's driver, a 62-year-old man, was wearing a seatbelt and sustained no injuries, investigators said. Routine toxicology tests are pending as the investigation into the crash continued, state police said.
Tarrant County Judge Kenneth Sanders, a family friend of Broderick Moore and alumnus of Southern University himself, had taken Moore under his wings.
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“I had just talked to him earlier this week and he was excited to come home and tell me all about his first semester at Southern,” said Sanders.
Sanders said he spent the summer with Moore, taking him to his first major league baseball game, preparing him for life on college as a freshman.
“Because he was going to my alma mater, I spent a lot of time with him this summer helping him get ready,” he said.
Sanders said Moore was excited about the marching show style popularized on HBCU campuses.
“As we were out shopping, buying stuff for college, he was constantly practicing his high-step, because Southern is known for having a high-stepping band and he wanted to fit the part,” Sanders said.
The university’s Director of Bands, Kedric Taylor, released a statement that reads in part:
“I am at a loss for words and utterly devastated to hear the news that three of my band members lost their lives….the dedication and work ethic they displayed to the Human Jukebox was inspiring.”
Back home in the DFW area, the Cedar Hill High School Band Boosters remembered the fallen alumni in a tweet.
Judge Sanders said Moore had carved out his path.
“He was planning to become a band instructor,” he said. “I can only imagine the passion that he would’ve passed on to his students once he became a band instructor.”
He says the Southern University campus will be dimmer without the light of the three young men.
Southern University President-Chancellor Dennis Shields, in a statement, offered condolences to the victims' families and friends as well as to the school community.
"I know that the sudden loss of a classmate or friend can be devastating," he said. "I encourage you to reach out to someone you trust to talk about your feelings. Know that the University Counseling Center is also here to assist you."
