H.S. Football Star
16 Year Old Killed
Hit By Alleged Drunk Driver
Published
Deejay Tuiasosopo, a 16-year-old H.S. football star in Washington, was tragically killed Friday night by an alleged drunk driver … just down the street from where he played a game hours earlier.
He was standing on the sidewalk when he was hit.
According to Federal Way police, a car smashed into another vehicle in an intersection before hitting Deejay around 10:45 PM.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
A 29-year-old man was arrested for vehicular homicide and driving under the influence.
Deejay — a 6’1″, 230-pound running back and linebacker in his first season with the team — was part of the class of 2028.
Teammates say DT had dreams, including winning a state title.
“The fact he can’t do that, that’s just, it just feels sad,” Rodriguez said.
Deejay’s family was loaded with great athletes, and he was hoping to be the next.
His great-uncle, Manu Tuiasosopo, was a 1979 first-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks and won Super Bowl XIX with the 49ers. Manu’s son Marques was the 2001 Rose Bowl MVP and spent 8 seasons as an NFL QB with the Raiders and Jets.
Deejay’s other cousin, Zach, was on the Steelers’ and Eagles’ practice squad.
The talent extended beyond the gridiron. They had an MLB player, and a women’s volleyball coach in the family, too.
The entire community was shattered by the news … and many mourners got together on Saturday for a vigil near the crash site.
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Deejay’s family, in a statement to KOMO News, described him as a “pillar” in the community.
“His energy, light and infectious presence reached far beyond what we, as his family, even realized,” they said. “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.”
The family added … “He was an empath who genuinely cared for everyone whether it was his first time meeting you or he’d known you for a while.”
R.I.P.
