IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif. — A candlelight vigil took place Saturday evening for 16-year-old Ryder Day Shoup who was killed in a wrong way crash.
At least 200 friends and family gathered at a skatepark in Imperial Beach to remember Shoup. He used to ride his skateboard at the park, and friends say he had a beautiful smile.
"He was a great guy. He always had a smile on his face and was always respectful," said one of his friends, Lily Olivera.
Shoup was killed in a crash involving a wrong way driver early Wednesday morning. The 16-year-old and a 67-year-old woman, Eileen Crawford, were killed when their vehicles crashed head-on on Interstate 5 in Chula Vista near the San Ysidro port of entry at 3 a.m. Wednesday, according to the California Highway Patrol.
"These are all his friends and family. I didn't even know they were doing this," said Shoup's mother, Ashley Day. "I just want to thank everyone."
Shoup was a new father to a four month old baby who also attended the vigil. Friends hugged and shed tears, saying Shoup will be missed.
Shoup was a junior lifeguard in Imperial Beach and attended YMCA Camp Surf since he was 5, a family friend said. He was also recently hired to be a lifeguard at Sesame Place and had started his training the week he was killed.
He was athletic, loved ones say. He was an avid skateboarder, snowboarder and surfer. He was on the junior football team and had previously played soccer.
The investigation into the cause of the crash is continuing while the CHP awaits toxicology results from the medical examiners office.
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