Deejay Tuiasosopo, a high school student-athlete in Federal Way, Washington, died last Friday after a multi-vehicle crash. He was 16.
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According to KOMO News, police responded to a fatal incident on the 30400 block of Pacific Highway South. A preliminary investigation showed that two vehicles collided at the intersection of Pacific Highway and South 304th Street.
One of those vehicles then left the road and struck Tuiasosopo, who stood on a nearby sidewalk. First responders provided aid in the aftermath of the incident, but the teen died at the scene.
Police arrested a 29-year-old man for vehicular homicide. This man was suspected of driving under the influence. This fatal incident occurred after a Friday night football game, which Tuiasosopo and his team won.
The individual arrested in connection with the fatal crash is scheduled to appear in court this week for the first time.
Loved ones continue to grieve and add to a memorial in Federal Way for a 16-year-old who was killed after a vehicle from a suspected DUI crash struck him on a sidewalk near his high school.
Deejay Tuiasosopo was identified by family and friends on Saturday as the victim in the… pic.twitter.com/CuTOJV7HSL
— KOMO News (@komonews) October 26, 2026
The hours and days after the fatal incident saw teammates, family members, friends, and community members creating a memorial to Tuiasosopo at the scene. Many left flowers, candles, posters, and balloons. Some of the items left at the memorial had his jersey number, 56, written on them.
KOMO News reports that over 150 people were on scene at one point in the evening while honoring Tuiasosopo. Many lit paper lanterns and sent them into the sky. Others brought candy, a reference to the football player's sweet tooth.
"Deejay was a pillar in many communities throughout King County from Tukwila and Federal Way to Auburn and all the way to Graham," Tuiasosopo's family said in a statement to KOMO News.
"His energy, light and infectious presence reached far beyond what we, as his family, even realized. Now in the midst of such a devastating tragedy, we are seeing just how many lives he touched and how deeply it has impacted all of these students and their families."
