Rickards High School is in mourning Tuesday after a beloved band member and band booster mom were killed in a tragic accident hours before the Veterans Day parade.
The fatal car crash occurred Monday morning on East Tennessee Street, just across from Leon High School. A pickup truck went over the median and hit head-on a sedan, which was carrying a mother and her two sons in their Rickards High band uniforms en route to the parade, according to the Tallahassee Police Department. A TPD spokesperson said the crash is still under investigation by the homicide team.
The mother, and one son, tragically died in the accident.
In the hours afterward, tributes to Gavin Witmer, a 17-year-old drum major with the band, began pouring in on social media.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Gavin Witmer and his mother who was also a Band Booster Mom,” Florida A&M University’s Marching 100 posted on Instagram. “Our thoughts and prayers goes out to the Witmer family, friends, and the entire Rickards High School band family during this difficult time of bereavement.”