EVERETT, Wash. — Everett police are still investigating a crash that killed three people and hurt two others who were on the side of the road.
Police say a driver ran into the group who were in the 11700 block of Airport Road early Saturday morning. Around 1 a.m., a car carrying teenagers drove off the road and onto the grass.
Investigators say they identified three teens who were in the car. An investigation is underway to determine who was driving. No arrests have been made yet.
On Monday, a vigil was growing on a sidewalk close to where the crash happened.
Keiffer Meyers says his brother, Jonathan Anderson, was among the victims.
"He was a longshoreman. The hardest worker I ever knew. The best man you can come across,” said Meyers.
"My brother was going through hard times. The whole family had no idea,” he added. "I just wish he would have called me because the whole family would have helped him out in a heartbeat."
CJ Hawley, a public information officer with the Everett Police Department, said the group was likely sleeping when the unthinkable happened.
"I wouldn't call it a homeless encampment, per se. It's nothing permanent or fixated. It is pretty transient,” said the officer.
He said it was just after midnight when Snohomish County Sheriff’s Deputies tried to pull the car over.
They sped away from deputies, according to Hawley. He said they lost control of the car.
"There was no pursuit. Witnesses on scene did not report seeing a pursuit," said Hawley. "Tragically, where that car left the road, there were a handful of people that were kind of bedded down for the night sleeping."
The car at fault had "three or four" people in it at the time of the fatal crash, said Hawley. While police were able to catch three of them, Hawley said, "They were released."
KING 5 asked why, and he responded, "Due to their age and state law."
Despite this, their brief detainment may prove critical to the investigation, Hawley said.
"Having an identity of these subjects is a big first step," said Hawley. "It's hard to maintain custody of somebody if you cannot prove they’re the driver.”
The investigation is ongoing.