One week after Ibrahim Sankoh was buried, and not 24 hours after his friends Jerrett and Jaylen Mumford were laid to rest on Monday, released details of the South Fulton County car accident that killed the three teens.
The investigation into the exact cause of the accident is still underway, but here’s the initial account from Union City police of what happened.
The Mumfords, 18-year-old Jerrett and 16-year-old Jaylen, were passengers in a Toyota 4Runner driven by Sankoh, 18. They were traveling east on Royal South Parkway. In the westbound lane was a Nissan Altima driven by Rahj Rowe of College Park. Sankoh apparently lost control of the SUV. It was dark, but Rowe saw the 4Runner begin to slide toward him into his lane. He couldn’t avoid hitting the SUV.
A witness told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution he heard the screech of metal. The 4Runner came to rest and flipped over on it’s roof in the eastbound lane of traffic.
It’s unclear what made Sankoh lose control of the SUV, but traffic investigators are examining whether speed was a factor, said Union City Police spokesman Chris Murphy. It doesn’t appear that alcohol or other impairment played a role in the crash, police said, and no toxicology reports for either driver were ordered immediately after the accident.
The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s office ruled their deaths were caused by blunt force injuries from the crash.
Before the accident, the Mumfords and Sankoh had left Banneker High School, where they were participating in homecoming festivities. Jerrett Mumford, the former “Mr. Banneker 2016,” had returned to his and Sankoh’s alma mater to crown the new “Mr. Banneker” for the homecoming court. Jaylen had recently transferred from Banneker to Westlake High School for his junior year, but went to the event to watch his brother and have fun with friends. Jerrett, a freshman at Alabama State University, was to have returned to campus that Sunday night.
Sankoh was buried last Tuesday. The Mumfords were buried on Monday. Last Thursday, at a memorial service at their former school, the "Mr. Banneker" crown and sash were returned to the Mumford family.
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