Friends Gather At Vigil For Fremont Teen Killed By Suspected Drunk Driver
FREMONT (KPIX) - With red-rimmed eyes, students at Washington High School in Fremont were struggling to accept the reality that their friend is gone.
Seventeen-year-old Armando Canales was in the backseat of a car that was hit head-on early Sunday morning, on southbound Highway 17.
The California Highway Patrol says the driver, 28-year-old Ashley Marie Oliver was drunk and driving the wrong way - north in the southbound lanes, near the summit at Redwood Estates when the crash happened.
Today, counselors were on hand at Washington High School to help students cope.
"He was always in a happy mood, always smiling - he was never in a bad mood and gave bad energy," said friend Louis Dominguez.
Canales played JV football and was the only child of single mother, Tina Cacilhas. His friends say he was devoted to her.
In turn, they spent a heartbreaking Mother's Day attempting to comfort Cacilhas, something they believe is what their friend would have wanted.
"Everything he did was for his mom. Everything. That's all he had and that's all she had. He loved his Mom with all he had," said friend Jovanni Cantu-Fernandez.
While these teens are trying to comprehend their loss, they have a message for anyone who thinks they can drive drunk,
"Catch an Uber, don't drive. Think about it," said friend Joel Silva. "Don't be dumb. You could take somebody's life. See what happened right now."