"I don't know how we're gonna do without him": Family members struggle to cope with loss of teen killed in "intentional" crash in Thousand Oaks
Family members and classmates gathered outside of Westlake High School to mourn the loss of the teen killed in what authorities are calling an intentional act on Wednesday.
Wesley Welling, 15, was among the group of students standing at a bus stop on Tuesday afternoon when a car plowed into them. He was killed in the incident, after a suspect in the midst of a lengthy crime spree veered off the road and into the bus stop.
Droves of fellow students and other community members visited the memorial site throughout Wednesday, stopping to offer their support to Welling's mother, Kelly, and his two siblings, one of which witnessed the whole thing.
"I don't know how we're gonna do without him," Kelly Welling said. "Wesley was an amazing kid. Just positive, always joking, always trying to help people."
Three other students were also injured, one of which remains hospitalized in critical condition.
Welling's sister, Hannah, detailed the tragic moments surrounding the crash. His mother says it's a miracle she wasn't standing next to him.
"I heard the skid. It happened so fast," she said.
Welling was a freshman at WHS, who "loved playing video games a lot" and "loved playing board games," according to his little brother Cody. "He loved playing with us whenever he had the chance," he said.
While the investigation continues, authorities are confident in saying that the incident was intentional, but they're still working to determine a motive. As it stands, 24-year-old Ventura County resident Austin Eis has been arrested and booked on a slew of charges including murder and attempted murder in the crash.
The incident has had a profound impact on the student body at Westlake High School.
"It's just like, somebody that you used to see every single day on campus, the fact that they're no longer there," said Olivia Ludwig, who also attends WHS. "I didn't know him well. I never really talked to him, but just knowing that there was a life lost because of reckless and inconsiderate behavior is really upsetting."
Cornejo Valley Unified School District is supplying a team of mental health professionals to students and staff across the district.
Though the pain and sadness are overwhelming, Kelly Welling says that she finds comfort in the outpouring of support she's received in the last few hours, especially learning how much of an impact her son had in such a short time.
"Everybody loved him and I'm finding out how many more people loved him than I even knew about," she said.
A GoFundMe has been created in support of the Welling family, which can be found by searching for the keywords: "In Memory of Wesley Welling."
