Southern University marching band members killed while changing tire, Louisiana cops say
Three Southern University students died after they were hit by a big rig on Tuesday, Dec. 6, Louisiana State Police and university officials confirmed.
The wreck happened just before 7 p.m. along Interstate 49 in Natchitoches Parish, according to state troopers.
Tyran Williams, 19, of Irving, Texas; and Dylan Young, 21, and Broderick Moore, 19, both of Cedar Hill, Texas, were headed home for the holidays when they were hit, WBRZ reported, citing police. All three were members of Southern University’s famed “Human Jukebox” Marching Band.
Kedric Tayor, director of bands at the university, said two of the students played the tuba and the other was a percussionist, according to WAFB.
“It is with a heavy heart that I share the news of the tragic deaths of three of our students who reportedly succumbed to injuries in a vehicular accident on Tuesday evening in Natchitoches Parish,” President-Chancellor Dennis J. Shields said in a statement obtained by McClatchy News. “Our thoughts are with their families, friends, classmates and other loved ones.”
Investigators said a 1999 Jeep Laredo was stopped on the shoulder of I-49 with a flat tire. The students were trying to change the tire when a 1997 Freightliner drifted off the roadway and struck them.
All three died at the scene, state troopers said.
The 62-year-old truck driver was not hurt, according to authorities. A “routine” toxicology report is pending.
Troopers said the crash remains under investigation.
Southern University is a historically Black university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where more than 7,400 students were enrolled as of 2021, according to the school’s website.
This story was originally published December 7, 2022 at 5:00 PM with the headline "Southern University marching band members killed while changing tire, Louisiana cops say."